


All Her Firsts

by callistawolf



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/M, First Kiss, First Love, First Time, Heartbreak, Love Confessions, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:22:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 50,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22560925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callistawolf/pseuds/callistawolf
Summary: Felicity Smoak visits Starling with her high school decathlon team, prepared for a week of intellectual rigors. What she doesn't expect is the emotional roller coaster that follows as she begins to fall for her host- the totally-out-of-her-league Oliver Queen.
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Comments: 508
Kudos: 711





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First off, the biggest of thanks goes to Shel, @andachippedcup, because without her and her encouragement and, yes, even her editing skills, this story never would have seen the light of day much less get written in the first place. This is my NaNoWriMo 2019 story and I debated posting it. With the show now over, I decided it was a good time to share it. The entire story is written, all fourteen chapters, so just sit back and (hopefully) enjoy as I post weekly updates.

Felicity stepped off the charter bus, her neck already craned to take in the sights of this new city. She’d never been out of Vegas, as far as her recollection. And Starling City was as different from Las Vegas as a city could get. 

The drive had taken ages; it probably would have been wiser to fly commercial but it turned out it was cheaper to charter a bus for twenty students from four different high schools rather than purchase them all plane tickets. Since all of her fellow classmates were from working class families without a lot of extra money to pay for such things, bus it was. They’d left Vegas the day before yesterday, picking up students from the other schools competing along the way, and had even slept on the bus (the bus company had wisely provided a second driver so they could take shifts). The stops had been brief; enormous gas stations with coin-operated showers and large assortments of junk food. Felicity had packed some food at home, wanting to save as much of her hard-earned baby-sitting funds as possible. 

But now they’d reached their destination: Starling Prep, the most prestigious high school in the Pacific Northwest. There was one other charter bus pulled up in the parking lot, filled with students from other schools. They’d all traveled here over their spring break for a huge regional academic decathlon. Schools from California, Oregon and Idaho were also competing. Most of them had flown, however, and just needed the bus to get from the airport to the lush manicured grounds of Starling Prep. 

The buildings looked like something out of a movie. Or the middle ages. Dark stone edifices, ivy crawling up the walls, leaded windows and peaked, copper roofs. And the cars in the lot were all fancy, high end sports cars and sedans and SUVs. It was a far cry from Felicity’s own school in Vegas. There, they had rundown, decades-old buildings, a few portable trailers to handle the overflow, and a dusty football field. Felicity had a difficult time not feeling wildly out of place as she gathered her rollaway suitcase, a gift her mother had purchased for her before she left on this trip. “You’ll need it for Boston!” she’d told her when Felicity had balked at the extravagance. 

She and her mother lived modestly, often paycheck to paycheck as her mother worked double shifts at the casinos to provide for the both of them. Her father… was not in the picture. And hadn’t been for almost ten years now. But the two of them made it work. 

As she scanned around, waiting for some sort of indication from the teachers where they should go and what they should do next, a tall boy leaning against a Mercedes SUV in the parking lot caught her eye. Felicity didn’t often spend a lot of time noticing boys. They were either creeps who preyed on the weak in order to boost their own egos or fellow nerds like herself that she found more like brothers than anything else. This boy looked like he could have been the former. He had that “big man on campus” look about him. Fashionable clothes, fancy car, perfectly styled hair, a smoldering look about him that said he could have just stepped away from a modeling gig. But when his eyes caught hers, even over the distance, she felt an intensity there and a shiver stole down her spine. 

“Can you believe this place, Felicity?” Randall Kim, one of her classmates, exclaimed as he approached her, lugging his own suitcase behind him. “It looks like a university!”

“I heard it’s the premier college prep on the west coast,” Janine Howard, another classmate, supplied. 

“No wonder they wanted to host the Western Academic Championship here,” Felicity said. Jorge Rodriguez and Adam McCall, the other two classmates from her school who had come along on this trip nodded and muttered their agreement. Everyone looked more than a little thunderstruck. 

Mrs. Ridinger, their chaperone, ushered their group as well as another team from a private school in Oregon forward and indicated two young men, one of which being the same who’d caught Felicity’s eye as soon as she stepped off the bus. 

“Students, this is Oliver Queen and Carter Bowen. They are both seniors here at Starling Prep and they are also going to be hosting you at their homes. One team will be with Mr. Queen, and the other team will be with Mr. Bowen. When I call off your name, please take your belongings to the gentleman I’ve indicated.”

Felicity kept watching Oliver Queen while Mrs. Ridinger kept talking. He was standing next to the other boy, who was equally attractive but somehow less compelling. He was checking his phone but looked up suddenly, catching her eye. Felicity startled and tried to look away but something about the way he met her gaze kept her ensnared. As she’d thought before when she first saw him, there was something very consuming about him, especially the way he looked at her. 

There was interest in his gaze and while it was still too far to tell what color his eyes were, she could absolutely feel the energy with which he regarded her. He was a high schooler?? Felicity knew she’d skipped a grade and was a little younger, but something about this guy felt far older than that. As she’d noticed before, he was tall and well built and if she had to guess, she would have said he was an athlete. He certainly dwarfed the boys from her school who had come along to this academic decathlon. 

Not that such superficial qualities were important to Felicity. 

Still. He was a treat to look at. 

“Felicity Smoak? Felicity!” 

Her attention snapped back to Mrs. Ridinger who was regarding her with a tell-tale crease between her eyebrows. Her classmates were also looking at her, some of them knowingly. She felt her cheeks heat up. 

“Yes? I’m sorry, Mrs. Ridinger, I missed what you said?”

With a deep sigh, Mrs. Ridinger looked down at her clipboard and then back up at Felicity. “You are going to be staying at Mr. Queen’s house. Please take your belongings over to his vehicles.”

Her classmates snickered as Felicity gathered her things and headed over to Oliver Queen, who was still watching her with a curious expression. Vehicles? As in more than one? Felicity tried to tame the blush she knew was flaming across her cheeks as she walked towards the enigmatic boy. Man. Guy. Whatever he was. 

Hunk, her brain supplied unhelpfully. 

Mrs. Ridinger quickly introduced them all before moving on to help the group going to Carter’s house. Felicity barely heard a word, however, because now she was close enough to see that Oliver’s eyes were blue. And not a muddy, grey-blue like her own, but a crystal clear, vibrant blue that seemed to be able to see right through her. 

He had a driver with him and that was when Felicity noticed the sporty little black coupe next to the SUV. “Uh, three or four of you can go with Rob, my driver here… but with all the luggage in there too you won’t all be able to fit so at least one of you will have to ride with me.” 

Oliver’s eyes were focused on her as he spoke and she could feel her cheeks heating yet again. She had to tear her eyes away from him so she didn’t do something humiliating. She watched as her classmates started piling their bags in the back of the SUV and went to join them. 

Before she could lift her roll-away, it was taken out of her hands in one swift movement. Oliver was there at her side, lifting her bag and tucking it into the back of the SUV. 

“Oh! Thanks,” she said. 

“This one is filling up,” Oliver said, nodding to her classmates who were climbing into the SUV. “Looks like you’re riding with me.”

Her mouth promptly dried up, preventing her from making a coherent answer. Before the pause grew awkward, however, Adam jogged up to them. “I’m going to ride with you too. It’s too crowded in the back seat.”

Oliver glanced at him. “You’re going to be crowded in my back seat too.” Felicity looked towards his coupe and, yes, there was barely a backseat at all. 

“Not if I ride up front.”

“You’re shorter, you’ll fit better in the back seat.” 

“Felicity and I are the same height!” Adam protested. 

She grimaced because, in fact, they were the same height. All of 5 foot, five inches. Adam was the shortest boy in their year and was often called all sorts of awful names because of it. The teasing never seemed to bother him, however. 

Oliver turned his attention back to her and she noticed how his gaze lingered on her jean-clad legs. They were tight jeans, because that was the style she preferred and suddenly she felt as though she wasn’t wearing pants at all. Despite his attitude about Adam, her blush threatened to return. 

“Felicity has the longer legs,” Oliver said. “Besides, it’s my car and I get to say who rides in the front and who rides in the back.”

Adam just shrugged. “That’s okay. I’d rather be crowded in the back of a Maserati GranTurismo S than in the back of an SUV.”

Oliver’s eyebrow lifted and he gave a curt nod. “Okay, pile in then.”

Adam climbed behind the front passenger seat and then Felicity got in. Oliver waited by the door and closed it for her once she was settled. 

“He likes you,” Adam said as Oliver rounded the hood of the car. 

“No, he doesn’t,” she hissed back. “Be quiet.”

Her classmate only chuckled as Oliver climbed behind the wheel. She watched as he skillfully reversed the car out of it’s spot and steered out of the parking lot. 

“So, you’re from Vegas? Did you grow up there?” Oliver asked as he navigated the streets. 

“No, we moved there from Los Angeles when I was a baby,” Adam answered. 

Oliver glanced in the rear view mirror, scowling. “I wasn’t asking you.”

“Don’t be rude,” Felicity snapped before she could think twice about it. Next to her, both of Oliver’s eyebrows went up. She tried to recover but her annoyance at how Oliver kept dismissing Adam was really grating on her nerves. “The question applies to him, too.” 

Oliver glanced at her for another moment before returning his eyes to the road. She couldn’t help but notice his fingers tightening on the steering wheel. After a moment, he blew out a breath and his shoulders relaxed. 

“Alright, then what’s your answer, princess?” 

The nickname grated on her more than a little but she decided to ignore it for now. “Yes, I grew up in Las Vegas.”

“What's it like there?” he asked. 

“Hot.” She grinned. “And full of tourists.” 

His lips quirked in a smile. 

The rest of the ride was most uneventful. Adam asked questions about landmarks they passed and Felicity watched the scenery, much like she’d done on the bus. It was such a different place than Vegas. Green, as far as the eye could see. Trees, flowering in the growing spring-time warmth. Temperatures had already reached 80+ down in Vegas but up here, Spring was still very much emerging. 

Starling was a beautiful town. 

“So how about you?” Felicity asked at last. 

Oliver glanced at her, his eyebrow raised. 

“Did you grow up here?”

“Oh. Uh… yeah. My family’s always been here, actually.”

Why did he sound more than a little sheepish when he said that. 

“That’s pretty cool,” she said, hoping to encourage him to keep talking. 

He lifted a shoulder but didn’t elaborate. In the back seat, Adam piped up. “Wait… your last name is Queen, right? As in Queen Consolidated? The Qphone? The QBook?”

“One and the same,” Oliver replied, a little tersely. 

“Oh wow! The QBook was my first laptop! I got it for Christmas the year before last; I love that thing!”

“I’ll be sure to pass it along to my parents.” 

Felicity tried to process this new information. Of course she’d heard of Queen Consolidated and the whole host of companies it parented. Who in this day and age hadn’t heard of one of the biggest companies in the country, who had a hand in everything from technology to media to the travel industry, even all the way to politics? The Queen family was American royalty. 

And judging from the look on Oliver’s face, he wasn’t terribly thrilled about it. Felicity didn’t know what to say so she said nothing. Instead, she returned her attention to the scenery passing by for the rest of the ride to Oliver’s house. 

Except… it wasn’t really a house. Not by her standards, at least. It was a castle. The Queen Mansion rose from the verdant landscape, a goliath crafted from dark stone bricks complete with vines growing up the sides. Leaded windows glinted in the sunlight. Felicity’s jaw hung open as Oliver parked his coupe next to an enormous portico that shielded the front door. The SUV carrying the rest of the students and their luggage pulled in behind them. Oliver was out of his seat and around the car to her door before she could even get her seatbelt undone. 

“Here, let me help you,” he said, holding out a hand. 

Blushing, she accepted it and let him help her out of the car. Her eyes went back to the house rising up before her. “Wow,” she breathed. 

She caught a small smirk on Oliver’s face before he shifted her seat to let Adam out of the backseat. Her classmate was similarly captivated by the Queen mansion and they stood there, unsure of what to do or say next. Rob the driver was removing everyone’s luggage from the SUV and that was what finally snapped Felicity out of her stupor. She grabbed the handle of her roll-away and followed Oliver as he led the way into the house. 

The foyer was every bit as grand as the exterior of the home alluded to. Solid wood paneling gleamed and the sunlight streamed through a second story stained glass window that rose above the curving staircase. It looked like something out of medieval England, not a home to be found in the Pacific Northwest. Then again, with what she’d just realized about who Oliver’s family was, she supposed the grandeur made sense. How could someone live and be comfortable in such a stately atmosphere? 

She was distracted by a little girl about six or seven years old zooming down the stairs at breakneck speed. Her brown hair was smoothed back into matching pigtails and her smile was as bright as the sun. “Hi! I’m Thea!” she announced. 

Oliver smirked and ruffled the little girl’s hair. “This is my little sister, Thea. Hey, Speedy, would you mind helping me out here? Could you show these two to their rooms?” He indicated her and Adam. 

“Sure, Ollie. Where are they going?”

“Uh… put Felicity in the Green Room and Adam can go in the Yellow Room. I’ll get everyone else situated.”

“Okay!” the little girl cheerfully piped. “C’mon, guys, follow me!” 

Felicity smiled and, lugging her suitcase with her, followed after Thea as she led the way up the grand staircase. Thea chattered as they went, filling the silence as Felicity and Adam gaped at their posh surroundings. 

“My parents are in Paris for a few weeks but don’t worry, they said this was okay. I was a little surprised that Ollie was okay with doing something related to school but I think he had to do it. I don’t know. No one tells me anything cuz I’m just a kid.” 

“Is Ol-Oliver taking care of you while your parents are gone?” Felicity just couldn’t bring herself to call him Ollie. It just didn’t fit him. 

“Sorta. But mostly the staff. Raisa is our main maid and she cooks for us and directs the cleaning staff and the gardeners and all that. She takes care of me when my parents are here too, actually.”

Felicity hummed as she eyed the oil paintings on the walls in the hallway Thea brought them down. More wood paneled walls here, with gleaming hardwood floors with a plush and rather expensive looking carpet runner over the top. She couldn’t help feeling rather intimidated as she tugged her roll-away along after her. 

Thea showed Adam to his room, the “Yellow Room” which Felicity soon saw was named such because the decor was all in hues of sunny yellow. And so she wasn’t surprised when Thea directed her to a room a little further down the hall that was decorated in green tones. 

“This is one of my favorite rooms,” Thea told her as Felicity pulled her suitcase through the doorway. “Next to my own, of course.”

“Where is your room?” Felicity asked, setting her things on a thoughtfully provided luggage rack near the dresser. 

“On the other side of Ollie’s room. He’s right next door. My room is all pinks. And his is blues.”

She paused. “He’s right next door?” 

“Mmhmm! He must like you,” Thea told her knowingly. “He put Adam at the other end of the hall and the other guests are on the next floor up.”

Felicity busied herself so Thea wouldn’t see her blush. It was nonsense, really. He probably was only interested in her because he thought he could hook up with her or something. But then, why not focus his interest on Janine instead? In Felicity’s opinion, Janine was much more exotic looking than herself. Her blonde hair was very average and her blue eyes might have been her best feature, but they were hidden behind glasses. There was honestly nothing remarkable about her. 

“Thanks for showing me to the room, Thea,” she said. The little girl beamed. 

“You’re welcome! You saved me from a boring Sunday anyhow.”

“Got any plans for spring break?”

Thea shook her head. “Nope. With mom and dad gone, we can’t go on any trips. But I guess now that you guys are here, it won’t be so lonely.” 

Felicity watched her skip out of the room and felt bad for the girl. This huge house and all the money in the world and she was lonely? How sad was that? 

Sighing, she turned her attention from the door to the room she was going to be staying in for the rest of the week. It was the size of half of her house back at home in Vegas. And that was before she checked one of the doors and found a full en suite. Her own bathroom! Felicity had never had that in her whole life. There was an enormous shower with more jets than she’d ever seen before. If that wasn’t enough, there was an enormous claw foot soaking tub to boot, a gorgeous countertop with plenty of room for her to spread her things out on… the floors were marble, the fixtures gleamed and there was even a crystal chandelier hanging over the tub. This was too much. 

That was in addition to the enormous bedroom with a four poster bed bigger than two of her beds back home pushed together. All the furniture looked like it was made of solid wood and the linens were all soft and perfectly matched. Felicity absolutely felt out of place but she also felt excited. At first she’d been a little disappointed they’d be staying in student host homes and not in a hotel since she never got to stay in hotels but this was SO much better. 

And hey, if Oliver Queen was in fact interested in her, what harm was there in a little spring break flirting? None. She’d be gone at the end of the week, regardless. What was the risk? 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity get to know each other a little more and attend a mixer together. Sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so pleased that everyone seems to enjoy this story so far! I haven't really written any high school AUs but I had fun with this one. Of course, twists and turns are coming eventually. But that's half the fun, right? 😉

Oliver Queen paced down the hallway towards the library where the students staying at his home were preparing for the competition tomorrow. He’d expected to spend the week doing his best to ignore the group of what he previously would have considered the “nerdiest of the nerdy”, but apparently, plans change.

And what changed them? A petite girl with a blonde ponytail and glasses. He’d noticed her the moment she stepped off the bus. That in itself wasn’t unusual: Oliver often noticed girls wherever he went and the prettier they were, the more he noticed them. But this girl, Felicity, was different somehow. For one thing, she was pretty but not exactly drop dead gorgeous. Not like some of the girls he’d dated. For another thing, she was there for… what was it called again? An academic decathlon? She was smart and therefore too smart to want to put up with him, he figured. Oliver was barely passing his classes, hence him hosting these students as a last ditch bid for extra credit so he didn’t get kicked off the baseball team. How opening his family’s palatial estate to some nerds from Las Vegas translated to extra credit in his math class made no sense at all to him, but he was ready to accept it.

There was something about Felicity that caught his attention, though, and held it. And the more he looked at her, the more she went from being just “pretty” and became “stunning”. It was the little things. Her plush, pink lips. Her dainty little hands, tipped with brightly painted fingernails. Her skinny jeans that displayed her pert rear end to absolute perfection. The way her smile could light up any room she was in. It all captivated him.

Oliver experienced a brief moment where he thought he shouldn’t allow his thoughts to go there, but he quickly pushed it away.

He arrived at his family’s library; an enormous room with floor-to-ceiling bookcases lining the walls, heavy velvet curtains drawn back from the leaded windows and a huge mahogany table in the center of the room, around which the students were sitting as they went over their books and tablets together. He zeroed in on Felicity right away, her head bent over her tablet as one of the other kids, Jorge, talked about something to do with integers. It was all Greek to him.

Oliver cleared his throat and they all fell silent immediately as five sets of eyes trained on him. But the only one Oliver noticed was Felicity. She set her tablet down, focused on him and something about that pleased him deeply.

“Hey guys, just wanted to let you know. Mrs. Ridinger just called to remind me that you guys have a mixer at Starling Prep tonight and you all need to be there. I guess it’s so you can meet the other students before the competition.”

“Yeah, before we cream them all with our superior intellect,” Randall crowed earning him some cheers from the other kids.

“Rob can drive you over, there should be enough room this time since you won’t have your luggage taking up the back. It starts in about an hour,” he told them.

Everyone got up, chattering about the competition and the mixer as they filed out of the library and headed towards their rooms to get ready for the mixer. Everyone except Felicity, that is. She hung back and walked up to him once everyone was out of the library.

“Are you coming along?” she asked.

“To the mixer? I wasn’t planning on it…”

“Got a hot date?” she teased, her tongue poking through her teeth in the most utterly captivating way. Oliver tore his gaze from her mouth.

“No, just figured the mixer was for the students participating in the competition and that’s not me.”

Her eyebrows raised as she leaned back against the table, her tablet clutched to her chest. “And why aren’t you?”

The laugh burst out of him unchecked. “Me? An academic competition? The reason I’m hosting you guys at my house is because I’m failing math, not because I’m on the honor roll.”

Her expression immediately sobered and Oliver instantly felt the loss of her teasing grin. “Failing math? Is it calculus?”

To be honest, Oliver wasn’t even completely sure. The rare times he did show up for class, he sat in the back and doodled on his book cover. Everything the teacher was saying went so far over his head that he’d long ago given up trying to absorb any of it.

“I think so,” he replied.

Her eyes went wide. “Wow. Okay, well, I can help you, while I’m here. If you want.”

“With math?” If you’d told Oliver last week that he’d be contemplating spending his spring break studying math, he would have told you to fuck off. But the idea of Felicity helping him made it somehow appealing. Not just the prospect of spending time with her and being close to her, but because he wanted to do something that might make her smile. And he had a feeling letting her tutor him would please her.

“Definitely. And any other subject you might be having trouble with. C’mon, we’ll make it fun.”

Oh, he had no doubt of that. But he hesitated regardless, because watching her turn pleading was the most adorable thing he’d seen in a long time.

“I don’t know…” he said, teasingly.

Felicity’s puppy dog eyes intensified and any feigned resistance he felt melted away.

“Alright.”

“And you’ll go to the mixer with us tonight??”

Oof. He supposed his only other option was to watch a movie or something here by himself. However, if he went along, he might get to spend some more time with Felicity.

“Fine. I’ll go.”

She gave a cute little cheer and pumped her fist, making him chuckle. Oliver offered to walk her back to her room, since his was right next door (a calculated move on his part). As they walked, she talked about how she’d work with him on his calculus after tomorrow’s match, which was taking place in the morning, before lunch. Oliver barely heard her, however, as he focused on her smiling face and the way she waved her hands as she talked. When they parted, she told him she’d meet him downstairs in ten minutes, clearly afraid he’d back out of the deal.

As if wild horses could have chased him away now.

***

Oliver had, in fact, met her downstairs. And then he’d told her he’d drive her to the mixer in his coupe, since his joining them meant there wasn’t room for everyone in the SUV and he “didn’t want to ride over there alone.” It absolutely sounded like a line to Felicity, who’d never had a line used on her before in her life, but she went with it.

Why? Well, for one thing, it felt nice to bask in his attention. She absolutely noticed how he watched her, how his eyes were always on her whenever they were in a room together. As she’d put on her skirt and blouse for the mixer, Felicity had decided she would stop questioning why he was interested in her and just go along with it. There was absolutely no way this flirtation was going to go anywhere, it couldn’t, but the attention felt good. He was cute and sweet and there was no reason she couldn’t have a little fun while here for this competition.

It was a different experience, riding in Oliver’s car, when it was just the two of them. In the dark. The scent of whatever soap or cologne Oliver had used filled the space, making her mouth water a little. There was a little bit of nervous energy. It felt like a date. She knew it wasn’t, but it felt like one.

They talked about minor things on the ride over. She asked about his parents; he didn’t have much to say other than that they were often busy with the company. Combined with what Thea had said about their housekeeper, Felicity was starting to get a clear picture of what life was like in the Queen household. It was a sad picture.

Her mother was often busy at work, trying to keep a roof over their heads, but when she was home, she was very present. Maybe too present, Felicity sometimes felt. But she knew her mother cared, at least. She didn’t get the sense that Oliver and Thea felt the same way about their parents.

She told him about her mother, trying to leave out how they lived just above the poverty line. She told him about how she used to go to the casino her mother worked at after school, study behind the bar and eat nachos from the buffet for dinner. Oliver seemed very interested to learn about her so she kept talking. Felicity got the impression that he didn’t like to talk about himself all that much so she was okay with keeping the subject on her.

When they got to the school, they met up quickly with the rest of her classmates and they all filed into the school together. Starling Prep was an impressive place, though after the Queen mansion, little else looked more impressive. Oliver led the way towards the gym, where the mixer was being held.

They came across a small group of girls coming down the hall towards them. The three were chatting amongst each other and when they spotted their group, the trio clearly recognized Oliver.

“Ollie! Hey, what are you doing here on a Sunday night?” the tall girl with the lustrous brown hair asked as they all came to a stop.

Oliver looked almost annoyed at having been stopped. “Showing these guys to the gym. They’re here for the academic competition this week, they’re staying at my house.”

All three girls looked surprised to hear this and the brunette rolled her eyes. “I know who these…” She stumbled for a moment before catching herself. “… Students are. We just came from the gym. Since we’re spirit squad, we helped set up the place for their mixer. I’m just surprised you’re not with Tommy at Coast City this weekend.”

“Yeah, well. Plans change, Laurel.”

She shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. “Mine don’t. I’m driving over there right now actually. We all are.” She indicated the girls with her. “C’mon. Why don’t you ditch the nerd herd and come with us?”

The other girls voiced enthusiasm at this idea but Oliver just shook his head. “Nah. I have stuff to do this week. See you later.”

Without waiting for a reply, he continued down the hall and the rest of them jogged to catch up to him.

“We wouldn’t mind if you wanted to go hang out with your friends this week,” Felicity told him.

“I’m not really interested in hanging out with them this week,” he replied.

She flushed at the unspoken implication. He may not want to spend time with his friends, but he did want to spend time with her. Was she reading that right? In case she wasn’t, she kept her lips buttoned as they entered the gym.

The lights were low with streamers hanging down. A disco ball spun lazily while a sound system played music. A table was set up with refreshments and a few students were milling around there, some were sitting in the bleachers eating and a few were standing in uncertain clumps, talking with one another.

Felicity hoped Oliver might ask her to dance or something but he never did. In fact, he kept getting sucked away to talk to other people, some of his friends who were at the mixer and even her own classmates. Felicity joined in on the conversations some but soon, she got bored of that. She wanted to dance.

She made eye contact with a guy, she believed his name was Carter Bowen. He’d been at the school earlier when they’d arrived and was apparently hosting some students at his home like Oliver was doing. He smiled and made his way through the other students to her.

“Hi there. You look lonely,” he said. “My name is Carter.”

“Hi, Carter. I was, a little bit. My name is Felicity.”

“Ahh, one of the Vegas kids, right? Staying at Queen’s house?”

Felicity nodded.

“That’s excellent. Just so you know, I’m on the Starling Prep team, we intend to give you guys a run for your money this week.” He smiled good naturedly at her.

“Bring it on,” she replied with a wink.

“Hey, would you like to dance?” Carter asked her. Felicity glanced over at Oliver, who was still sulking next to the punch bowl. She’d hoped he might ask her to dance but it looked like that wasn’t happening. Well, she was going to dance tonight and if it wasn’t with him, it might as well be with Carter Bowen.

“Sure,” she said as she accepted his extended hand. He led her to the center of the gym where everyone else was dancing and pulled her into his arms.

He was tall, good looking and smelled nice but other than that, Felicity didn’t have much of a read on him. He held her close but kept his hands in respectable places as they swayed together to the music.

Felicity glanced over Carter’s shoulder towards Oliver, chastising herself as she did so. She shouldn’t care what he thought. And yet… Oliver was watching them, his expression rather dark. Felicity wasn’t sure if it was whatever was bothering him from before or if it was her dancing with Carter.

Ignore him, she told herself. She looked away, determined to enjoy herself regardless of him and focused on Carter instead.

“So, you mentioned before that you’re competing for Starling Prep?” she asked him.

“I am. And, I hope you know, our team is very good. We’re undefeated locally.”

Felicity tried not bristle at Carter’s obvious bragging. Also, they all were very good teams. They all had very good records competing locally, which was why they had been invited to this championship in the first place. Her school, for example, was also undefeated locally as well as in the entire state of Nevada.

“We might give you a run for your money,” Felicity replied, trying to keep the tone light.

“I just don’t want you to cry when we beat you. You’re too pretty to be crying.”

Ugh. What a dumb line. “Maybe you’ll be the one crying.”

“Doubtful. But if so, I’m sure you could dry my tears,” he said, his voice low. And then, she felt it. One of his hands left her waist and traveled down over her rear end. She was too shocked to react at first and before she could… he tightened his fingers, squeezing. Her gasp was audible but he must have felt encouraged by it because he chuckled.

“Stop that,” she protested.

“C’mon…” the weasel crooned.

“Get your hands off her.”

Felicity snapped her head up and saw Oliver standing next to them, glowering at Carter. Carter didn’t remove his hand but he did meet Oliver’s challenging glare.

“Or what, Queen?”

“I’ll remove them for you.”

On anyone else, it would have sounded ridiculously cheesy. Especially from a high school kid. But on Oliver, somehow, it sounded like a legitimate threat.

The two boys stared one another down for a long minute and finally, Carter let his hand drop. “Fine. You can have her. Maybe I’ll go find a head cheerleader who needs help keeping her bed warm tonight.”

Oliver glared at Carter for a long moment and Felicity worried for a moment that he’d throw a punch at the creep, not that he probably didn’t deserve it. Instead, he remained where he was and Carter shrugged. She watched as Carter skulked off, disappearing into the crowd of students. Oliver scoffed at his retreat and then turned his attention back to her.

“I’m sorry, are you okay?” he asked her, putting a hand on her arm as if to steady her.

“I’m fine, mostly annoyed. I thought he was a nice guy.”

“Everyone thinks that about him but he’s a first class creep. Always has been.”

“Coulda warned me before I danced with him,” she chided. There wasn’t much heat in her accusation. “Or maybe danced with me yourself.”

Oliver’s expression changed, his eyes going wide. He seemed at a loss for what to say in response. “I, uh, well… uh, dancing isn’t, uh, really my thing,” he said, stammering a little.

Felicity thought that was a pretty flimsy excuse. After all, slow dancing involved just grabbing onto your partner and swaying, with the beat of the music or not. Rather, she thought he was looking for an easy way out of dancing with her and far be it from her to push the issue.

Letting him off the hook, Felicity suggested they get some food and sit in the bleachers and Oliver was clearly glad to accept the offer. They sat and ate and talked but she kept it light. While she was maybe open to a fling with him this week, it looked like he wasn’t. And she was just going to have to be okay with that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity grow closer...

Oliver didn’t get great sleep the night after the mixer. His brain wouldn’t shut up and let him rest. Instead, he kept running over and over everything that happened… and didn’t happen… with Felicity Watching her dance with Carter had been absolutely awful and when she’d hinted that she wouldn’t mind dancing with him instead, he’d blown it.

Oliver knew he needed to make a decision about her. Did he want to keep flirting with her, maybe even get a little closer with her this week? Or did he want to do what was clearly better for her and keep his distance?

He couldn’t deny that he was drawn to Felicity but at the same time, he couldn’t fathom treating her like the other girls he’d ever been interested in. Oliver knew his reputation. He knew he used girls for his own enjoyment and then walked away with little care for how they felt. He couldn’t do that to Felicity. She was different. She deserved better than that.

Could he give her better? Ignoring for a moment the fact that she’d be leaving at the end of the week, could he just let things happen with Felicity and worry about the rest later? He just didn’t know. And that was why he hadn’t danced with her last night. He didn’t want to hurt her. He’d do anything to prevent that. Even if it meant staying away from her.

Oliver was just finishing up in the home gym that was set up just off the garages. A good workout usually helped him clear his mind and he’d gone particularly hard on the treadmill and the weights. Try as he might, however, he wasn’t able to sweat Felicity Smoak out of his brain. He tugged on a t-shirt as he walked out of the gym and headed towards the stairs so he could run up to his room and get a quick shower. As he went, he mopped at his head with a small towel, swiping at sweat that threatened to run into his eyes.

He was walking down the hall towards his room when Felicity came out of her room and ran smack into him, nearly stumbling backwards as she did so. Quickly, Oliver reached out and grabbed her before she could fall.

“Ooh! Oh, god, I didn’t see you there,” she said and he watched as her eyes traveled up the length of him. Her cheeks pinked as she realized he was warm and sweaty.

“Sorry about that, I was just down in the gym. I was just headed towards the shower.” He felt a bit flustered herself, suddenly very aware of how smelly he must be.

“I—I can see that,” she mumbled, her eyes still very much on his bare arms.

He cleared his throat. “Where were you headed?”

“Uh, the team wanted to celebrate our win today. We’re meeting downstairs to have a toast to our early success.” Off his raised eyebrows, she added with a grin, “With soda.”

“You guys won today?” he asked, smiling.

Her smile grew brighter. “We did! Eastern Oregon is toast, my friend!”

“Congratulations!” He felt the strongest urge to grab her up in a hug but resisted, somehow, at the very last minute. Instead, he awkwardly clapped her on the shoulder. To try to cover himself, he said, “It’s not a celebration without pizza. Let me call delivery, get a few pies delivered.”

“You don’t have to do that!” she exclaimed.

“I want to. Just, save some of that soda for me, okay? My shower won’t take more than ten minutes.” He winked before he walked past her to his room. 

He sped through his shower, not lingering like he normally would. Oliver realized he was anxious to get back to Felicity. He wanted to see that smile of hers again. And maybe that was the answer he was looking for before. He only had a number of days with her, why not just enjoy the time he had with her? Enjoy that smile while it was still there to enjoy?

So it was with a lighter step that Oliver joined Felicity and the other students down in the kitchen. Shortly after he got there, the pizza delivery guy arrived at the gates so the whole group of them stormed the front door, likely scaring the poor guy with the pizzas. But everyone was laughing and having a great time, including Felicity. And, Oliver realized, he was having fun too.

Everyone ate pizza and toasted their cups of soda in the kitchen, reliving their moment of glory from that day’s competition. Oliver was completely unsurprised to hear that it was Felicity who was responsible for the match winning answer.

After the impromptu pizza party, everyone went their separate ways after the students all agreed that they’d prepared as much as they could and, feeling confident of the days win, didn’t feel they needed to worry too much about tomorrow’s opponent, a group from Northern California, as they were technically ranked beneath the school they’d beaten already.

Felicity was on her way to her room when Thea grabbed onto her sleeve and held her back. “Watch a movie with me! Ollie never wants to watch movies with me and it's no fun by myself. We can make popcorn and everything.”

It was on the tip of Oliver’s tongue to tell Thea to let Felicity go and do whatever she wanted to do on her own but Felicity smiled at his sister warmly and said, “That sounds like fun! What movie did you have in mind?”

“Princess and the Frog!” Thea crowed and Oliver fought a groan. She always wanted to watch that one. It was her current favorite Disney movie. He was surprised when Felicity’s eyes lit up.

“Ooh, that’s one of my favorites! Louis the horn playing gator is my favorite!”

“I love Tiana because she works hard and cooks well,” Thea said soberly.

“Wise choice. How about you, Oliver?”

“Hmm?” He wasn’t expecting to be put on the spot.

“Who’s your favorite?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little sheepish. Thea gave him a look and explained to Felicity, “He’s never seen it. He always has some excuse why he can’t watch it with me.”

Felicity gasped in mock outrage. “Well! That means he has to watch it tonight with us. No excuses,” she told him, wagging a finger in his face.

He wouldn’t dream of it.

Oh sure, Oliver made a show of griping and groaning but he made the popcorn and brought it into the media room (most people would call it a family room but far be it from his parents to stoop to such common descriptions) where the girls were already curled up on the massive sectional and the movie was already playing.

He settled himself on the other end of the sofa and watched them as much as he watched the movie. Thea talked through the whole thing, explaining moments to Felicity, pointing out her favorite characters and favorite lines and favorite songs. Speaking of the latter, the two of them sang along to each and every one and Oliver found himself equally charmed by Thea’s childish tones as he was by Felicity’s melodic harmony. She was a great singer, he found, a sentiment that Thea echoed with delight.

“You’ll be an even finer singer someday, Thea,” Felicity promised his sister. “I guarantee it. Your voice will put mine to shame!”

Of course, this was exactly what Thea wanted to hear. Like that, Felicity was elevated to goddess status in his little sister’s eyes. Watching Thea cuddle against Felicity’s side and preen at her attention, Oliver felt a stab of guilt. He’d spent his teen years absorbed in himself and his friends and anything outside of this house. Sure, he loved Thea more than anything else in this world, but how had he really shown it to her? He didn’t take her places, do things with her, watch movies with her. He was seeing how the girl blossomed like a rose under the attention Felicity gave her and he realized he wanted to continue to see that. Thea wasn’t going to get it from their parents, sadly enough. It was down to him to forge that bond with her. Especially since Felicity would be leaving in a few days.

Once the movie was over, Oliver pointed out Thea’s yawning and told her to get on up to bed. She agreed on the condition that Felicity and her would give each other manicures and pedicures the next day and Felicity swiftly accepted that condition, pointing out that her nails could do with a fresh coat of paint. Then, Thea scampered upstairs, leaving the two of them alone in the media room.

“That was really nice of you… to indulge her like that,” Oliver said into the silence.

Felicity shrugged. “It was my pleasure. Truly. Princess and the Frog is one of my favorite Disney movies and that’s saying a lot because I love Disney movies.”

“She gets lonely here, I think. Mom and Dad let her have friends over a lot to make up for it but so many of her friends are away for spring break. And, I admit, I haven’t spent as much time with her as I could have.”

Felicity stood up and came closer to where he sat, settling on a cushion near him. She turned towards him, her legs tucked up underneath her. “I’ve always wished I had a little sister. Or a brother, even. I think it would have been nice not to be alone all the time.”

“Your parents?” he asked her.

Her lips twisted in a wry smile. “It’s just my mom and I. My dad… he left. I was 8. Or maybe 7. I don’t even remember anymore. I just remember how much it hurt. I idolized him and he just… left. And now my mom has to work all the time, to support us. She doesn’t have the luxury of spending time with me.”

Oliver scooted closer to her, wanting to reach out and touch her, to comfort her, but he resisted. “I’m so sorry, Felicity. Did you have friends, at least?”

“No, not really. I wasn’t bullied terribly, I can be grateful for that. But I’m too smart or something. I think that scared kids away.”

He thought there wasn’t such a thing as “too smart” and that any kid that was too threatened by Felicity’s intelligence to be friends with her was missing out greatly. “That sounds very lonely. I understand how that feels.”

Felicity scoffed softly. “Oliver, please. You have friends. I’ve only been here a little more than a day and already I know that. Everyone at that school knows you.How could you understand what it’s like to be lonely like that?”

How did he explain this to her? “The sort of friends you have when you’re popular aren’t the sort of friends you have when you’re not. Or if you do, it’s rare. My friends want something from me, even if it’s just to be popular by being my friend. And I can’t really confide in any of them, if I did they’d find the weakness and use it to tear me down, so they could take my place. That’s not really having friends. And it’s lonely as hell.”

Felicity was silent, watching him, and her eyes were glistening suspiciously. “Oh, Oliver. I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine, Felicity. I got used to it, I think. I just went with it. That was easiest. But I’ve been realizing lately that I don’t really know who cares about me for me, you know?”

She nodded. “I know but I don’t know at the same time. All anyone in my life seems to care about is how big my brain is and if it’s bigger than theirs... Well, they don’t want to know me.”

“That’s their loss,” he told her truthfully. “Because your brain is something special and it will get you somewhere in life. I have no idea what I have, beyond being popular. As far as I can tell, that’s all I have to offer.”

“That’s absolutely not true,” she told him. “I’ve only known you for a day but already I can tell you’re a sweet guy, who loves his sister, and is thoughtful and kind. You have a big heart.”

Oliver smiled at her. “You know… you might be the first person to make me feel like a real person.”

Her cheeks pinked up and she glanced down, a smile curving her lips. “Oliver…”

He took a deep breath. “There is this girl at school. She—“

“Felicity!”

Thea came barreling into the room, interrupting him. She was out of breath and her hair was already tangled up. “There’s a monster in my room!”

“A monster?” Felicity looked at him, her eyes widened dramatically. “I thought monsters were further south than this. Should we go check it out?”

“I think we better,” Oliver replied. Thea’s face lit up and he ruffled her hair. Yes, from now on he promised he’d be a lot more involved in his sister’s life. He’d be the big brother she deserved.

As for Felicity, well… this evening showed him what he really wanted. What he wanted was her. Period.

***

Another day, another fantastic win for her and her classmates. As they’d suspected, the team from Northern California was no match for Felicity and her teammates and they’d easily eliminated them from the competition. They were facing a school from Portland tomorrow, which they did need to do some preparation for as Portland had won both of their matches so far too. But, for the moment as Felicity walked out of the gym with the rest of her classmates, they could take a deep breath and pat themselves on the back.

Rob was there to pick them up in the SUV as he’d done the day before. As they drew nearer, however, Felicity noticed Oliver next to his coupe. He looked up and spotted her immediately, a smile spreading across his handsome features. Her heart sped up as she smiled back at him, raising her hand to give him a little wave.

In return, he waved her over to him and she skipped ahead of the rest of her classmates. “What are you doing here?” she asked, smiling. “Not that I mind that you’re here… it’s a lovely surprise. I just wasn’t expecting you.”

“I know. It’s a surprise. How did you do?” he asked

“We won! As predicted. But tomorrow’s match looks like it’ll be a tough one. We’re going to have to spend a lot of time preparing tonight, I’m afraid.”

“Congratulations!” His arms came around her in a big, warm hug and Felicity happily hugged him back. His chest was firm and warm against her and she felt an urge to snuggle closer to him or sniff at his neck but resisted, somehow. “That’s wonderful! I’m so proud of you.”

He held her a moment longer before letting go of her. “You’re not going to be preparing all night, are you?”

“Hopefully not. But we will need to work on it for a few hours. Why, what did you have in mind?”

“I thought all of us could watch a movie tonight. You all have been working so hard and I’m sure you could use some downtime to blow off steam.”

How incredibly thoughtful of him! Did he not realize how sweet he really was? Felicity grinned at him. “That sounds like a great idea. But it doesn’t really explain why you’re here right now.”

“What, wanting to congratulate you isn’t reason enough?” he asked her, winking.

She chuckled. “You didn’t know we won until just a minute ago,” she pointed out.

“Okay, you’re right. I thought I’d ask you if you wanted to go with me to get some ice cream.”

Her eyebrows flew up. He wanted to take her to get ice cream? That sounded suspiciously like a date. Not that she minded, not in the least. Spending time with Oliver had been the highlight of the last few days. The movie last night with him and his little sister was such fun and then their talk afterward, where they each revealed their loneliness… Felicity hadn’t ever had a talk like that before with anyone and she suspected he hadn’t either. It felt good to open up to someone. And Oliver was ridiculously easy to open up to.

“I’d love to go for ice cream,” she said. “Let me tell the others. Be right back!”

She dashed over to the SUV to let her classmates she wouldn’t be going right back to the house quite yet. They teased her mercilessly, Adam even making some quiet kissy noises that had Felicity’s cheeks flaming with embarrassment.

“Be back soon, Felicity,” Jorge said. “We have a lot of prep to do before tomorrow.”

“I will. No more than an hour, I figure. Oh! And Oliver wants us all to gather for a movie night tonight after we’re finished. To blow off steam.”

Everyone seemed to like that idea quite a bit so Felicity waved to them before heading back to Oliver and his sporty little car.

“Okay, I’m all yours!” she announced.

His eyes warmed as he looked her over. “Yes, you are.”

Felicity didn’t miss the double meaning there and her cheeks flushed but she just smiled back and let him open the passenger side door for her. She nestled back into the butter soft leather as Oliver hopped behind the wheel, started the car with a loud rev and rocketed them out of the school parking lot. She couldn’t help but let out a cheer that had him grinning.

He sped through the streets and before this week she would have been chastising him about driving so fast but she was enjoying herself and enjoying him so she just threw her hands up as far as the low ceiling of the coupe would allow and let out a whoop. She was young and free and in a car with a very cute guy who seemed to like her. The world was her oyster.

He took them to a little, run-down building down by the bay. It was little more than a shack with a service window and a few picnic benches out in front.

“This place has been here since my parents were kids,” he explained as they stood in front of the window, looking over the menu. “We used to come here all the time when I was really little, before Thea was born.”

“Not anymore?” she asked.

“Not with my parents. My friends and I come here sometimes. Not as much lately,” he admitted.

“You should bring Thea,” she told him.“Share it with her, tell her how it’s special.”

His eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea! I’ll do that.”

“Good!” Felicity felt a little smug at her own idea and turned her attention back to the list of flavors on the menu board. “Now, what’s the best flavors here?”

“Hmm… I love the Rocky Road but their Mint Chip is also stellar.”

“I’ll have a scoop of Mint Chip then,” she decided.

Oliver ordered their cones and paid. She accepted the cone of Mint Chip from him as he walked them past the picnic benches and towards the street. “C’mon. Let’s walk a little.”

He held his hand out so she reached out and took it, letting his fingers fold around hers as he led her across the street to the bayside park. The trees were still flowering and budding out leaves and the view of the water was gorgeous. She sighed happily, letting their joined hands swing between them as she licked at her cone and admired the view.

“There’s nothing like this in Vegas,” she said.

“But I’m sure you have ice cream,” he pointed out.

“I guess. Though all I see are those strip-mall frozen yogurt places.”

“Don’t knock them, those toppings are dope.”

Felicity burst out laughing. “Oh my god, did you just say ‘dope’?”

He grinned and took a big bite of his ice cream, cone and all.

They kept walking until they found an unoccupied bench, overlooking the water and the skyscrapers of the city on the other side of the bay. Their conversation veered towards what their plans after high school looked like.

“I’ve always wanted to go to MIT,” she told him. “I was lucky and got a really amazing scholarship, so that’s where I’m headed. How about you?”

Oliver sighed. “You see the tallest building over there?” He gestured across the bay.

All the buildings were tall, in her opinion. But she was able to pick out one that stood above the others around it. She nodded.

“That’s Queen Consolidated. I’m expected to take over from my parents some day.”

“You mean, be CEO? That sounds amazing! That’s my dream, you know, to someday run my own company. A tech company, of course.”

“Oh yeah?” He smiled down at her. “You’re into computers?”

“Oh yes. I built my first computer when I was seven. I have so many ideas for tech I want to create. I really want to use it to make the world a better place.”

“Wow. That’s amazing. You see, I wish I had half of that drive. Right now, being CEO just sounds like a lot of pressure and responsibility and I’m just not sure I’m up to that.”

“You will be,” she said with confidence. “I believe in you.”

Oliver softened that. “You know, when you say that, I almost believe I can. I might just need to keep you on speed dial and whenever I lose confidence, just call you up for a pep talk.”

“It’d be my pleasure,” she said with a wink before biting into her cone. “So where are you going to school then?”

“Uhh, my dad went to Princeton so he wants me to go there.”

“Have you applied yet?” she asked. Most kids she knew who were going to college already had their acceptance letters but then, most kids she knew applied early.

“Yes, but I haven’t gotten the acceptance letter yet. I expect it’ll come any day now,” he said.

“You’re not worried about not getting in? I heard Princeton is pretty hard,” she said and then she blushed. She hoped he didn’t think she was implying he wasn’t smart enough. But he did ask for her help with math…

But Oliver just smiled and shook his head. “Nah. My parents are big donors. They wouldn’t dare reject me.” His smile faded then. “It’d be great if I knew I got in purely because I’m smart, you know? Like you and MIT. This way I sort of feel like it’s all pointless because even if I fail, my parents are probably going to buy my grades too. So why even bother, you know?”

“Oliver,” she sighed, putting a hand on his arm. “It’s not pointless. And you’re not going to fail because this is your chance to really prove yourself. You can study hard and make the grades and show yourself and your parents that you can do this and you will be ready to take over at QC someday.”

He looked at her as though she’d just announced she had the cure for cancer in her back pocket. “But how do you know that I can do that?”

She shrugged. “I don’t. But, I do know that you have the ability to do it. And if you want to do it, you will.”

Oliver shook his head in wonderment. “I don’t know how you do it but you make me feel like I’m worthwhile.”

“Oliver, of course you are. Anyone who thinks otherwise just doesn’t know you well enough.”

“And you do? After two days?”

Felicity just smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder, looking out at the water. “Maybe I do.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver tries desperately to avoid falling into a relationship with Felicity, but when Tommy insists on a party, that resolve will be put to the ultimate test.

Hours later, Oliver still was thinking of their impromptu ice cream date and how Felicity had looked with the breeze off the bay ruffling the hair that had escaped her ponytail or how the cool air had pinked her cheeks and made her eyes twinkle. He was still thinking of her smile, how her lips curved, how she told him she believed in him. Holy shit, he was officially sunk for this girl. It was completely foreign to him in a way he hadn’t even known could be foreign. Before this week, he thought he knew all there was to know about infatuation and love but Oliver was learning that he hadn’t known the half of it.

Was he falling for Felicity? He could be. It would be so easy to let himself slide down that slippery slope, landing in her arms. Maybe too easy.

And he still wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t the only one on that slope. Sure, he could tell that Felicity liked him, enjoyed hanging out with him but… more than that? Oliver was ever mindful that they only had four more days together. The last thing he wanted to do was push something that she had no interest in pursuing with him. She was smart and clearly going places with her life. Despite her belief in him, Oliver couldn’t help but think he was a fuck up who couldn’t earn his own achievements. She deserved better than him.

“Let’s watch Iron Man!” Randall called out.

“Nah, I’ve seen it only about a million times. Why not Pirates of the Caribbean?” Adam piped up.

“Boring! I want to watch something romantic,” Janine argued. Everyone groaned at that and Felicity threw some popcorn at her which made everyone, including Janine, laugh.

“How about something scary?” Jorge suggested.

“Ooh! Yes!” Felicity said.

Oliver felt a little unsure. On the one hand, putting on a horror film was his go-to move to get a girl to cuddle with him. On the other hand, Felicity deserved better than all his go-to moves. He didn’t want her to remember him as that sleazy guy who tried to get somewhere with her. And not in front of all her classmates for sure. “How about Die Hard?” he suggested.

Everyone groaned at that and Felicity tossed some popcorn at him (one kernel of which he caught in his mouth before winking at her). They all took a vote and landed on horror. Oliver had a copy of one of the Saw movies and most of them hadn’t seen that so he put it in the DVD player, grudgingly.

“Is it really scary?” Felicity asked him as she settled onto the sectional sofa next to him.

“It’s pretty gory. And yeah, pretty scary.”

“Oh boy,” she said, sounding more nervous than excited.

He cocked his head at her. “You don’t like scary movies?” She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. “But you threw your vote in with horror!”

“I know! I just…” She glanced at her classmates who were settling in with their popcorn and drinks and chattering over the opening credits. She pitched her voice lower. “I just thought that a scary movie would give me a good excuse to cuddle into you.”

Oh, Jesus. It was worse than he thought because she knew the move too and she wanted it. Of course that just made him want it even more and that meant any resistance he had was promptly being torn to tatters.

As the movie started in earnest and the scares started to come, Felicity did indeed curl into him. She would hide her face in his shoulder or clutch his hand. The whole of her body was pressed up against his and god damn, did it feel good. Every time there was a jump scare, she would start and burrow into him even more so he put one arm around her and held onto her hand with his other. He didn’t even care anymore if her classmates saw or thought something was going on between them. Let them think it. It was true… or going to be true, anyhow.

Shit. What was he thinking? He was supposed to be resisting starting anything with Felicity and here he was, daydreaming about their eventual relationship? What the hell?

A little voice did remind him that Nevada wasn’t very far away and he could easily fly down there and visit her…

Oliver told that little voice to shut the hell up.

***

Oliver simply could not stay away from Felicity and he didn’t want to. The only problem was he knew he should want to. He knew he should try. But the reality was something else altogether. Alone, he could steel himself but whenever he was around Felicity all the resolve he’d gathered would melt away. The worst part was he sought out excuses to spend more time with her.

Felicity tutored him in math, as she’d promised to. They had been doing that in the mornings, after breakfast and before the team did some last minute prep before that day’s competition. Somehow, the concepts as explained by Felicity were so much easier for him to understand than when his teachers tried to teach him. She was very patient with him and seeing the delight on her face when he’d get something right was more than enough motivation for him to apply himself.

Right now, the kids from Vegas were all at the school for the day’s competition. Felicity had been worried about how they would do but Oliver was confident they’d win again. They were a formidable team and Oliver could honestly say he’d never been around such smart people before. Plus, they had Felicity. He was starting to doubt if there was anything she didn’t know. He’d never have known how attractive intelligence was if he’d never met her.

His cell phone rang, drawing his attention away from thoughts of the adorable little blonde. It was Tommy, his best friend. They hadn’t spoken all week so far, which was unusual. But Oliver had been admittedly fairly distracted by Felicity and her classmates.

“Hey, Tommy, what’s up?”

“He lives! I can call off the search party!”

“Very funny. I’ve been here this whole week, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sentenced to housing a whole herd of nerds for the week. I remember. That’s actually what I’m calling about.”

“Why?” Oliver closed his eyes and hoped that Tommy didn’t have some elaborate and cruel hazing ritual in mind, just to appease his own boredom.

“Your parents are out of town, right?”

His suspicions grew. “Yes…?”

“We need to have a party at your house. Tonight.”

“Tommy… I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. I have my little sister here and all these kids are staying here this week…”

“That’s why we must have this party. These nerds could use a little exposure to one of Ollie Queen’s infamous bashes. It’ll be the seminal moment of their teenage years, I promise.”

He somehow doubted that. “And what about Thea?”

Tommy made a dismissive noise. “Send her to a friend’s house for a sleepover.”

“All her friends are out of town this week.”

“All of them?? Fine, then just shut her up in her room with the tv and a tray of snacks and bribe her into secrecy.”

“I just don’t think—“

“C’mon, Ollie. All of us stuck in town this week are bored as shit and you always throw the best parties. You owe it to your graduating class. And the juniors and sophomores and I guess we can let in some freshmen…”

Oliver knew there wasn’t really any denying Tommy. This was the razor edge of popularity; you couldn’t really think for yourself anymore, you had to subscribe to the group think. And what the group wanted, the group got. If not, you could find yourself on the outs and being on the outs with the popular kids wasn’t anywhere a guy like him wanted to be. It’d never happened to him before but he’d partaken in the shunning of others and it wasn’t pretty. Oliver really didn’t want to spend the last few months of high school battling that sort of social suicide.

“Alright,” he relented, his shoulders sagging. “But can we try to keep it a little lower key than usual? We don’t want to overwhelm these kids.”

“Ollie, overwhelming them is the whole point.”

He closed his eyes and bit back a curse. This was going to be a disaster.

Six hours later, Oliver upgraded that estimate from disaster to unmitigated catastrophe.

Felicity had smiled when he told her about the party after the team had returned home from the meet. They’d won again, of course, just as he’d known they would. But Oliver could tell that smile of hers wasn’t genuine. In only a couple of days, he already could tell the difference between a real smile and one that she pasted on for his benefit. She insisted that the party sounded like a good idea but he could tell she was hoping for another quiet night. Their next day’s competition was weighing on her, he knew, and he alsoknew that she would have preferred to take the time to fully prepare.

Now, she was huddled in a corner with her classmates, sipping from a bottle of Coke and looking altogether uneasy. The rest of the house was filled with rowdy high schoolers, drinking alcohol, playing loud music and making total asses of themselves. As Oliver had predicted, the two groups weren’t mingling at all and he couldn’t help but feel bad for the kids from Vegas. This had to be awkward as hell for them.

Tommy kept dragging him off so he hadn’t been able to check up on them or, more specifically, Felicity as much as he would like. The next time he made it over to their group, he found Max Fuller and his sidekicks trying to get the Vegas kids to drink some beer.

“C’mon. It’s fun! Sure, it tastes like piss but before long you won’t care and you’ll just be having fun with the rest of us!” Max was saying to them.

Oliver shouldered through and yanked Max back. “Max, lay off. If they don’t want to drink, they don’t have to.”

“You can’t have any fun at a party if you don’t drink,” Max said, grinning lazily. “C’mon kid.”

He pushed a red plastic cup at Randall who eyed it suspiciously. The cup was then passed to Jorge who also looked hesitant but reached out and took the cup from Max’s outstretched hand.The kid took the cupand to his credit, didn’t pull too much of a face when he took a drink. He nodded and the rest of the students followed Max back to where the keg was set up to get their own drinks and Felicity started to follow them until Oliver grabbed onto her arm, stopping her.

“You don’t really want to drink, do you?” he asked her.

Instead of her usual smile, Felicity gave him a scoff and drawn eyebrows. “Your friend is right. It’s hardly a party if you don’t drink, right?”

“Max is not my friend.”

“Then why is he at your party?” she asked, lifting a brow meaningfully before shaking him off and striding towards the kitchen and the rest of her classmates.

Huffing out a breath, Oliver followed her, quick on her heels. “Felicity, this isn’t a good idea. You’re underage.”

She whirled around at the last moment and he nearly ran into her. “And you aren’t? Or are you going to tell me you’ve never drank any alcohol at any parties before?”

Shit. What did he say to that? “That’s not the point?”

“Isn’t it? Or are you admitting to a ridiculous double standard where I’m concerned?”

Then, Felicity turned back around and strode over to the keg. Max filled up a cup and handed it to her, grinning at her and then winking at him. Oliver could have punched him in the face. “You want one, champ?” Max asked.

“Nope.”

Felicity was right, normally at parties, Oliver drank alcohol. He usually drank a lot of alcohol, actually. That was what passed as fun in his social circles. Drinking a lot, maybe taking some ecstasy, tripping out and getting high with one another, making bad decisions, hooking up…

His skin crawled as he thought of Felicity getting drawn into that sort of thing. It was why he had been reluctant about this party in the first place because he knew this would happen. Before this week, he would have enjoyed hazing the “nerd herd” just like his so-called friends. It felt different now. Felicity made it feel different.

He wasn’t going to drink a drop tonight. Not going to smoke a single joint or drop any E at all. Just in case Felicity overindulged, he wanted to be sharp and able to help her. And if someone tried to take advantage of her, so help him…

He had to deliberately unclench his fists as he followed Felicity into the media room. A movie was playing there, but no one was paying attention. Helena Bertinelli looked up as they entered and her gaze traveled over Felicity before landing on him with a knowing look. That look made his skin crawl.

“Hey, Ollie,” she drawled. “I'm surprised to see you slumming it here with the decathlon nerds and not living it up in Coast City with your usual brand of short skirts on the cheer squad?”

“Mind your own business, Helena.”

She raised an eyebrow but otherwise looked unbothered. “Touchy.”

He was about to snap back at her, something threatening perhaps so she would keep her mouth shut when her friend Cynthia spoke up. “We were about to play spin the bottle, why don’t you guys join us?”

“Hell no,” he growled at the same time Felicity said, “What’s spin the bottle? Is it a game?”

Helena’s grin turned positively feline. “Yes, it’s a game. You’ve never heard of it?”

Felicity shook her head.

“How fun. You want to play?”

“How do you play?”

“Felicity, you don’t want to play this game. C’mon, let’s go do something else,” Oliver suggested. This was exactly the sort of thing he’d hoped to avoid.

“Don’t be such a stick in the mud, Oliver,” Helena’s boyfriend, Charles spoke up. “Let her at least find out what the game is.”

“How do you play?” Felicity repeated, giving Oliver a censorious look.

He bit the inside of his cheek as Helena’s eyes glittered. “Well, we sit in a circle and one of us spins the bottle and whoever it lands on, that’s who we have to kiss. And then it goes around the circle from there.”

Felicity’s cheeks instantly pinked and she glanced at him before quickly looking away. “Oh.”

“Do you want to play?” Greg, Cynthia’s boyfriend asked.

She shook her head, her eyes downcast. “I—I better not. But you guys have fun.” Her eyes still down, she ran from the room.

Oliver glared at everyone. “Thanks a lot, guys. You’re all assholes.”

He turned and stalked away, hurrying after where Felicity had run off to. He went from room to room, searching for her with no luck. Finally, he saw Janine talking with some kids he barely recognized and she said Felicity had gone outside onto the patio. Oliver thanked her and went out through the patio doors.

No one else was out there; it was a little cold that evening. He thought it might rain later tonight. Felicity was out there though, lingering by the railing that overlooked the gardens though she couldn’t see much in the dark like this. There wasn’t even the benefit of moon or starlight as clouds filled the sky.

“Felicity?” He approached her slowly, sensing she was upset. Rightly so, those jerks in there had been pretty insensitive.

She didn’t even turn his way. “Go away, Oliver. Just let me get over my abject humiliation in peace.”

He continued to approach her anyhow. “I’m sorry about those guys,” he said. “They’re assholes.”

“Those are your friends?” she asked, finally looking at him. He could see tears swimming in her eyes.

“Yes. But you remember what I told you about how being popular meant being lonely? That’s what I was talking about.”

She shuddered visibly. “I get it now. I’m such a fool. Guess you can tell how inexperienced I am now, huh?”

He nudged her shoulder playfully with his own. “I hate to break it to you but I sort of already knew.”

Felicity snorted softly. “That obvious, huh?”

“So you really hadn’t heard about spin the bottle before?” He leaned against the stone railing, looking out into the darkness with her.

“I’d heard the term before but never really what it was, you know? I didn’t know it involved kissing.” She snorted. “No wonder you didn’t want to play. Imagine if you had to kiss me.”

“Felicity, no. You’ve got it all wrong,” he said softly.

She turned to face him so he mirrored her. Even in the dark, she seemed to glow. “Really? Because you were determined to get out of there.”

“I was determined to get you out of there,” he corrected.

“You would have played if I hadn’t been there. Those girls were all really pretty,” she said, chewing on her lip lightly.

Oliver shook his head, keeping his eyes on her. “Not as pretty as you.”

“Oliver, don’t say that…”

“Why not? It’s true.”

“But that girl in there. She said you have a usual brand of short skirts on the cheer squad. That’s your type, not some nerd in glasses like me.”

“Helena doesn’t know anything about my type. And I happen to really enjoy those glasses.”

“Stop. You’ll make me think you like me.”

“I do like you, Felicity.” She looked up at him, her eyes searching his as though looking for the lie.

“So you do want to kiss me?” she asked softly.

Oliver nodded. “I do, Felicity. But I’m not sure I should.”

“I’m sure,” she said, moving closer to him. She reached up and grabbed a hold of his henley, pulling him towards her until he could feel her body against his. “Please Oliver? Please kiss me?”

How on earth could he resist a request like that? When it was something he already wanted more than he’d wanted anything else in a long time. Her eyes swam as she gazed up at him and her lips looked so soft and luscious. Oliver was bending towards her before he’d even made the decision to toss all caution to the wind and just go for it. They only had a little more than two days left together. He was going to make the most of whatever time they had left.

His nose brushed alongside hers and he savored the moment, just breathing her in. She smelled like the flowers his mother kept in her gardens. She smelled like a warm, spring day. She smelled like absolute heaven. He breathed out slowly before inhaling her again. “Oh, Felicity. I wish I’d met you years ago,” he told her, his voice a little hoarse.

“Me too,” she whispered. “But I have a feeling you would have been murder on my GPA.”

Oliver huffed out a laugh at that, making her smile deepen. Then, her eyes drifted down towards his lips and he couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He pressed forward, letting his lips just barely brush against hers, getting just the barest feel of her lips beneath his. Heaven. Not enough. He pressed forward again, this time fitting his lips over hers more firmly, tasting her more fully. Sweet Jesus…

He pulled away, sucking in a lungful of breath and trying to get his bearings. “Shit, Felicity.I—I don’t know—“

Felicity cut him off by pulling him down towards her again, lifting up on her toes and kissing him back. This time, all his resistance shattered. With a groan, he deepened the kiss, brushing his tongue along her lips and slipping inside when she opened for him, allowing him to dive in and get lost in her intoxicating taste. His heart pounded and everything else around them ceased to exist. He pulled her tighter against him, his arms wrapped around her and delighting in the feel of her own arms around him, holding him every bit as tight as he was holding her.

This. This was worth everything. No matter what happened now, this perfect moment here would be worth it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He really did try, you guys. A for effort, right?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team from Vegas suffers a defeat and Felicity is filled with guilt about it. Is her relationship with Oliver to blame?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fairly short chapter this week but I promise, I will make up for it next week! 😉

“The winner of this match is… Franklin High School!”

The voice over the loudspeaker echoed in Felicity’s ears as her eyes burned and her cheeks flamed. They’d lost. She barely listened as the moderator announced their rankings and couldn’t even muster any enthusiasm when she said that South Vegas High School was not eliminated, due to their previously undefeated status. They’d still lost and it was all her fault. The last question had been on her shoulders and she’d fumbled it.

No one had been on their game and Felicity knew exactly why that was. It was that party last night. Her team knew that the team from Boise was going to be tough to beat but they’d still slacked off on their preparation. They’d stayed up too late, half the team had hangovers… it was a nightmare. As she looked down the line at her classmates and their downcast expressions, her guilt multiplied. She’d let them down. She’d let herself down.

All her glowing happiness over the kiss she’d shared with Oliver last night, her first kiss ever, vanished like morning mist in the afternoon sun. The memory of that kiss had sent her off to sleep with a smile on her face, had filled her dreams with all sorts of wonderful thoughts, had her waking up feeling positively euphoric. She’d heard kisses were great things, but the reality was so much more than just “great”.

But now, all the beautiful thoughts she’d had before this match were gone and in their place was regret, upset, and disappointment.

“I’m so sorry, guys,” she said to them.

“It’s not your fault, Felicity,” Randall said.

“We’re all sorry because we all fell down today,” Jorge pointed out.

They filed out of the gym, everyone quiet. Felicity knew she should say something encouraging, something to lift everyone’s spirits, but she was having a hard time feeling it herself. All she had in her mind were doubts and recriminations. The ride back to the Queen mansion was silent as well. It wasn’t until they arrived that Janine suggested they meet in an hour to go over what went wrong and to prepare for the next day. Because if they thought the team from Boise was going to be difficult, the team from San Francisco was going to be darn near impossible to beat. They really needed to be prepared, to be at their best and have their confidence back.

Felicity trudged to her room, not having any interest in joining the rest of her classmates in the kitchen for something to eat. She wasn’t hungry at all, not even for comfort food like a bowl of ice cream, which was unusual for her.

She was just to her door when Oliver came out of his room. His face lit up when he saw her. “Hey, Felicity! How did it go today?” he asked.

Felicity turned to face him and when he saw her expression, his own face fell.

“Oh no. You lost?”

“Yeah, we lost.” The disappointment of it sat on her heart like a stone.

“Oh, Felicity. I’m sorry.”

“I shouldn’t have gone to your party last night. We should have been studying and preparing. We were all tired and some of us even hungover. We were in no way ready to face this other team today and it showed!”

Oliver looked a little stricken at her outburst, but put on a smile. “Well, not all of it was regretful, right?” He brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers and smiled at her tenderly.

Right then, Felicity was in no mood for tender. Her guilt wouldn’t allow it. “I got distracted,” she said softly, firmly. “And the team paid for it.”

“It’s not all your fault, Felicity,” he told her, his voice tinged with hurt. “Is that how you see that kiss? A distraction? Is that what I am?”

Yes. Just because she’d welcomed it, enjoyed it and enjoyed him, didn’t mean he wasn’t a distraction. She wasn’t here to fall for a guy, she was here to compete and win. “I just… need to really focus on the competition,” she told him. “I can’t let the team down, not again. We need to win tomorrow.”

Oliver nodded, looking disappointed. “So are you going to be studying the rest of the day?”

“I think we need to,” she said. “Tomorrow’s match is going to be really tough.”

“Maybe I can steal you for a break in a few hours?”

He looked so hopeful that Felicity didn’t have the heart to turn him down on the spot. “Maybe,” she allowed.

Oliver nodded and gave her a brief smile. “I’ll come look for you later, then.”

“Okay, Oliver.”

After Felicity changed into more comfortable clothes and took a few minutes to gather herself, she headed to the library to meet the rest of the team. They were all there already, ready to dive into the material and work hard. Her heart swelled… she couldn’t ask for a better team than this.

They got right to work, poring over their books and writing out plans and quizzing one another. They all fell into a groove and time sort of fell away from them. At one point, Raisa came in with a few trays of sandwiches and chips and drinks for them to have for dinner. Felicity still barely had any appetite but Raisa’s sandwiches were too good to pass up.

At one point, Oliver came into the room, cautiously. “Hey guys. Is it break time yet?”

He looked like an oasis in the desert to her and Felicity wanted nothing more than to just sink into his arms and soak up his warmth. “What time is it?” she asked. “I haven’t checked in… a while.”

“It’s just after 8 o’clock.” Oliver said and everyone looked a little surprised to hear that. 8 o’clock? Hell, that meant they’d been in here for over five hours.

“Uh, yeah. I’d say we all deserve a break. Don’t you guys?” Felicity looked around the room. Her classmates nodded, getting to their feet and stretching.

“Hell yes,” Adam said. “My brain is fried.”

“Help yourselves to the game room. You remember where I showed you it is,” Oliver offered.

After that, the room cleared out pretty quickly, leaving them alone. Oliver walked around the table to where she was standing, stretching out her stiff muscles. “Are you feeling better about tomorrow’s match?” he asked.

Felicity nodded. “I’m sorry if I was a bit standoffish before. I was just fresh off that loss and feeling really guilty about it all.”

“I know you were. I hated seeing you like that but I couldn’t do anything to make you feel better.”

“I wouldn’t let you,” she pointed out.

“You needed your time. I understood that.”

She smiled at him and he moved closer. “How did you get so good with women?” she asked teasingly.

“Born with it, I guess.” He winked, then held out his hand. “Come with me. You need some fresh air.”

She slipped her hand into his, enjoying how his large, warm fingers wrapped around hers, tugging her with him as he walked from the room. Felicity was more than happy to follow along after him as he led her out through to the kitchen to the backyard.

“Weren’t we here last night?” she asked him. “Are you hoping for another kiss?”

“Hoping, yes,” he agreed. “And we were on the deck, over there.” Oliver pointed to their right and she peered around him to see the elaborate stone deck she remembered. “This is just the back patio that leads to the pool.”

And there on the left was the pool. She vaguely remembered that from the tour he’d given on the first day. For a moment, she lamented that it was still too cold to go swimming. Then, she imagined what Oliver might look like in swim trunks. All wet. Mmm, that was a nice image…

“Oh yes,” she said at last. “This is much different.”

“Smart ass,” he muttered. “It’s not cloudy tonight. We can see the stars.”

Looking up, Felicity saw that they could indeed see the stars twinkling above them. She could actually see quite a few of them, far more than she could ever see at home in Vegas without driving clear out into the desert and away from the light pollution of the city.

“Wow… so many of them. This is beautiful!”

“I thought you might like it. I hoped it would cheer you up a little. I hated seeing you be so hard on yourself about that loss.”

“Thank you, Oliver. But I deserved at least a little self-admonishment. I totally dropped the ball on our last question. That could have saved us or at least pushed us into a tie-breaker.”

“But you didn’t, and that’s okay. You’re allowed to fail every once in a while, Felicity. You’re a human being, not a computer.”

She snorted softly. “Sometimes I feel like I’m a computer. Spitting out facts and computing numbers. That’s all I do.”

“Last night, I wasn’t kissing a computer. Believe me, that girl was all human.”

He turned her so that she faced him and Felicity sighed happily. “You felt pretty human too.”

“Felicity, I’d like to kiss you again.” His voice was low, sending little shivers down her spine.

“Okay,” she whispered.

She met him halfway, lifting up onto her toes as he bent towards her. His arms wrapped around her, as his lips covered hers. God, she could kiss him forever. She felt his kiss down to her toes and she’d always thought that was one of those stupid things you only saw in movies or read in books. But with Oliver, every romantic fantasy seemed to come to life.

“You are so good at that,” she murmured when he lifted his head to press little kisses along the edge of her jaw.

“You’re not bad yourself.”

“You’ve taught me everything I know.”

Oliver drew back further to peer at her. “Are you saying you hadn’t ever been kissed before last night.”

She felt her cheeks heat a little. “Yes.”

Maybe it was the darkness of the patio, but Felicity could have sworn she saw Oliver’s eyes darken. “So I’m your… first?” he asked quietly.

Felicity nodded, feeling all kinds of awkward. She just… hadn’t had any time for boys. The last ten years of her life had been filled with school and learning. And most guys she knew overlooked her or just weren’t her type. Oliver was the first guy to really want to make a connection with her… and that she wanted to make a connection with. Honestly, she hadn’t thought about boys and kissing and sex much before and now… now she was having a hard time thinking of anything else.

Oliver groaned and his arms came around her, pulling her against him. He leaned his forehead against hers. “I don’t deserve that honor.”

She scoffed. “Of course you do. And what honor? It’s just that I’ve been so busy with my nose in a book… or a computer… I just haven’t had time for any kissing.”

“It’s an honor because kissing you is… I don’t even have words. I just know that I’ve enjoyed kissing you more than I ever have anyone else.”

“Oh? And how many girls have you kissed?”

“I don’t want to talk about that,” he said, dropping a small peck on her lips. “I just want to kiss you again.” His lips traveled along her jaw to a spot just under her ear that had her knees wobbling.

“Then what are you waiting for?” she asked breathlessly.

They kissed with the starlight shining down on them. All thoughts of the team’s loss that day finally fled her mind, leaving only Oliver and his scent and taste and touch behind. Her heart throbbed as he deepened the kiss and it was in that moment that Felicity knew without a doubt that she had fallen in love with him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the last night and there's another mixer for the students. And.... stuff happens. 😉

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ever wonder why this fic is rated M? 😉 If that's not your thing, you can skip the last half.

Their team won the match the next day but it was a very near thing. The team from San Francisco was tough to beat and kept them on their toes for the entire duration of the match. In fact, they had to go into a tie breaker that was as nerve wracking as anything they’d gone through to date. The schools were so evenly matched that the moderator had to find a particularly obscure question to give them to break the tie. In the end, it was Janine that came up with the winning answer and they’d practically carried her out of the gym on their shoulders afterwards.

Their relief was short lived, however. Tomorrow, they’d be facing off against Starling Prep, the only other school to make it to the end of the competition. Each team had only one loss and the word from the rest of the schools who had participated was that their team was particularly ruthless and precise.

So, directly after the match the team had returned to the Queen Mansion and holed themselves up in the library to study and prepare. The only break in their endless practicing came when it was time to get ready for the final mixer. Felicity thought it was a bit absurd to have a mixer the night before the final competition, when the two remaining teams would want to be spending all their time getting ready for the last match but… there was little choice. Attendance was mandatory and, as Oliver pointed out to her, the chance to blow off steam might do them some good. After all, they had spent six hours in the library, working hard and if they didn’t know everything they needed to know by then, they never would know it. They simply had to trust themselves and their knowledge.

Felicity wore the outfit she’d worn to the first mixer, not having much else in her roll-away that would be suitable. Oliver gushed over her anyhow, making her feel like she’d stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine. He insisted on taking her to the mixer, much like he had at the start of the week. This time, they walked into the gym together, hand in hand, very much looking like a couple. Felicity felt like all the eyes in there were on them, but she knew she had to be imagining it. That was just how it was with Oliver; he made her feel like she was the center of attention.

“You’re nervous,” he told her as he pulled her into his arms for a dance. “I can tell by the way you’re clenching your fists. Relax.”

“I can’t help it,” she admitted. “I want so badly for us to win tomorrow. It’ll mean the world to everyone and to the school. The prize money for the school will help fund the after school academic programs for years. Not to mention the credit on our records will help us in college.”

“You guys know your stuff. Trust in that. Worrying about it now won’t help anything and you’ll probably find you do better if you relax now and let that knowledge just soak in overnight.”

Felicity grinned. “I’m not sure that’s how it works but I’ll try my best.”

“That’s all you can do.”

They danced together almost all night. Being in Oliver’s arms was the most amazing tonic in the world, easing her nerves when she was sure nothing else could. Being with him like this was also heating her up.

Felicity noticed the looks he gave her. Things had changed between them since the night before. Learning of her inexperience had shifted something between them. The tension between them, the good kind of tension, was building. Oliver tried to hide it, she knew that’s what he was doing, but she could tell. Already, just five days and change in, she could read him like a book.

Like right now. His fingers tightened on her waist and his gaze became heavy as he watched her. They swayed on the dance floor, barely moving, but she could feel each and every brush of his body against hers. Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. Like last night’s revelation of the depth of feelings she had for him, she knew without a doubt that she wanted to be with him. Completely.

She was leaving to return home tomorrow and some might call her foolish for wanting to sleep with someone she realistically might never see again. Felicity barely cared that she was a virgin… such a classification was scientifically meaningless and the only currency it did have anymore was cultural. And hopefully that would lessen in time. She viewed her virginity as a simple of matter of inevitability. She’d have sex eventually. Almost a certainty what with her going to college next year. But who did she want to have sex with? That was the bigger question. She could think of no better man to share her first time with than Oliver. From his kisses alone, she could tell he knew what he was doing. The chemistry between them was blistering. Her natural curiosity pushed her to see that chemistry through to its logical conclusion.

Plus, she really wanted to get her hands on his body.

For a high schooler, Oliver was incredibly well built. She knew he played sports and she also knew he spent a lot of time working out, lifting weights… Felicity knew it was only natural that she’d want to see the physical results of all that hard work of his. She could feel now, as he moved with her, his firm stomach and wanted to see if he had a “six pack”. She bet he did.

Felicity swallowed heavily as she raised her eyes to meet his. “Oliver…”

“Yes?” he murmured.

“I need to tell you something.”

One of his brows lifted. “Oh?”

Felicity lifted up on her toes so she put her lips near his ear. “I want to have sex with you.”

When she lowered to her usual height, she saw Oliver watching her with an altogether different expression on his face. He looked stunned, as though someone had just given him shocking news. He couldn’t be that surprised to hear how much she wanted him, could he? Surely he felt this magnetism between them too?

“Felicity, I— You can’t mean that.”

She felt a little disappointed by his reaction. “Why not?”

“Because you… you’re leaving tomorrow.”

“I know. That’s why I want to do this with you. Tonight.”

She watched as he grit his jaw and then stopped moving. He grabbed her hand and started to tug her away from the other dancers. “Where are we going?” she asked as he pulled her towards the doors.

“We’re going to talk about this more, someplace I can think.”

“Good idea. Let’s go home.”

“Not for… that,” he clarified. “Just to talk.”

Felicity sighed. Maybe she’d been wrong and he didn’t want her after all. “Alright,” she replied, dejected.

The ride in Oliver’s coupe back to the mansion was silent. She had no idea what he was thinking but he was gripping the steering wheel like he was afraid it might fly out of his hands. He was completely tense but she couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Back at the house, they headed towards the stairs. “Are we going to talk in my room?”

“I don’t want Thea to hear us talking,” he said. “So it’s either your room, or the library.”

“My room,” she said.

“This doesn’t mean I’m agreeing,” he cautioned her.

It didn’t mean he wasn’t agreeing either, she told herself.

Once in her room, she locked the door behind them. The last thing she wanted was someone else to come barging in, not that she expected it. If they were going to have this talk, and hopefully do more than just talk, she wanted total privacy.

“Felicity, you don’t know what you’re asking,” Oliver said, pacing by the windows.

“I do know, Oliver. Just because I’m a virgin doesn’t mean I don’t know what sex is.”

He made a strangled noise and she noticed his fists were clenching.

“Did I misread things? I thought there was something between us… the way you kiss me and look at me…”

“You didn’t miss anything,” he said to her, stopping next to her bed and facing her. “I’m trying to be a gentleman here, Felicity.”

She relaxed. Okay, so the tension wasn’t because he wasn’t interested. “You don’t need to be a gentleman, Oliver.” She approached him and put her hands on his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breaths. “I want you.”

“Jesus,” he breathed before lowering his head and kissing her. This kiss was unlike their others. The passion nearly scorched her as he immediately dove deep, tongue thrusting into her mouth, swallowing her moans.

Felicity gave back as good as she got, her fingers going instantly to the hem of the henley he wore and tugging it upwards until Oliver got the hint and broke their kiss only long enough to pull the shirt over his head. Her hands skated down over his torso and down to his abs, her eyes drinking up the sight. Hot damn. He did have a six pack. Her fingers traced the subtle ridges and Oliver visibly shivered.

“You’re gorgeous,” she murmured before he swept her up in his arms again, this time pressing her to his bare chest. He kissed her deeply as he maneuvered her to the bed and eased her back down onto the mattress.

Oliver went with her, hovering over her with his knees on either side of her hips, his hands skating up and down her sides, making her wild with want. She arched for him, begging him to touch more of her but he was distracted by her mouth, kissing her as though he was dying of thirst and she was a cup of water.

“Oliver,” she groaned mindlessly.

“Felicity,” he returned, his mouth now devouring her neck and making her gasp.

Then, Oliver stiffened and drew back. His eyes looked wide and stricken as he moved off of her and off the bed.

“What’s wrong?” Felicity asked, feeling the keen loss of his touch. A stab of doubt lanced through the heat of arousal. Maybe he had changed his mind. Maybe he didn’t want her.

“Felicity… we can’t do this.” Oliver paced away from her, running a hand through his hair, causing it to stand up in a very attractive manner. He sounded distressed and she watched him as he stalked around the room. His gaze landed on her where she was sprawled on the bed and immediately he tore his eyes away.

“Why not?” She hated the pleading note in her voice. “I want this.” A pause. “Don’t you?”

“Dammit, of course I do. You know I do. That’s not it…” he said, his voice a low growl. Oliver stopped in front of her and leveled her with a look, keeping his eyes decidedly on hers.

Felicity pushed herself up so she was sitting. “Then what is it?”

“Y—you’re so young, Felicity.”

Well, that was annoying. “I’m not that much younger than you!”

“What are you… fifteen?”

“Sixteen.” Her birthday had been last month. But still, it counted. She was sixteen. “And you’re seventeen, right?”

“I’ll be eighteen in a few weeks.”

“So what? It’s still only technically a year. It’s okay.”

“Sixteen…” Oliver swore under his breath and looked back up at her. “That’s so young and you’re a virgin, Felicity.”

Tell her something she didn’t know. “How old were you when you lost your virginity, Oliver?” she asked pointedly. She didn’t know the exact answer but she had a pretty good idea, just based on some of the gossip she’d heard since arriving in Starling.

“Felicity…”

“How old, Oliver?”

“Fifteen. But that was different!”

“How?? If you say it’s because you’re a boy, I swear to god…”

“It just is! You…” Oliver stopped himself briefly and his shoulders slumped as he knelt down next to the bed. “You deserve better. My first time… it wasn’t great. All this experience I have, in two years? Not great. At all. And you’re better than that, Felicity.”

Her heart softened and she scooted forward on the mattress until she was right in front of where he knelt. Reaching out, she touched his face gently and he looked up again, his eyes searching out hers. “I’m not better than you, Oliver. You deserve better too. And I like to think that maybe we can be better… for each other.”

“Felicity… don’t…” He looked absolutely torn, tortured and desperate all at once. 

“Oliver, please…”

She could see a muscle in his jaw twitch and she knew that he was losing the fight with himself. It wouldn’t take much to tear down the last of his defenses. Leaning forward, she cupped his face in her hands and brushed soft kisses over his face… his forehead, nose, over his eyes and down his cheeks, across his chin… before she arrived at his lips. Once she fully kissed him, she felt him break completely. His arms caught her up, crushing her against him.

Oliver’s touches and kisses were frantic, as though he was afraid if he slowed down that he would regain his nerve to stay away from her. Felicity was determined not to let that happen.

She broke away from him, enjoying the desperate whimper that fell from his lips when she moved back on the bed. But then, she was reaching for her top, pulling it off over her head and his eyes were glued to her. Getting up on her knees, she unzipped her skirt and shimmied it down over her hips. Kicking the garment aside, Felicity was left in her bra and underwear, a simple but matching set.

Oliver’s eyes blazed as he drank her in, his gaze traveling from her toes up to her eyes and back down again. He climbed onto the bed, prowling over her prone form once again. He dropped kisses to her hip, her ribs, her shoulder… Felicity was shuddering, but not from the cool air of the bedroom. Excitement and nerves pulsed through her in equal measure.

Oliver smoothed a hand up her body, pausing to cup a bra-covered breast in one hand. “Shh,” he soothed. “It’s okay. Just relax. Let me take care of you.”

Felicity blew out a breath and tried to do as he asked. She trusted him. Oliver knew what he was doing. He knew how to make her feel good. So she focused on watching him as he kissed her all over, pausing on spots she never would have thought of… her belly button, her clavicle, the inside of her knee… He had her writhing on top of the bedspread in no time.

Then, carefully, he tugged at her underwear, pulling it off one hip before looking up at her, lifting a brow. She raised her hips, her breath held, and he pulled the other side down, down, down. They were tossed somewhere over his shoulder as his attention focused on the skin he’d just uncovered.

Felicity felt like her entire body was on fire, but no part quite as much as her face as Oliver stared at her. Gently, he reached out and nudged her legs. “Spread a little for me?” he asked. She complied, biting her lip as he stroked a finger along the inside of her thigh before stroking the outside of her swollen intimate flesh. Then, he leaned in, eyes closed, and inhaled as though he was smelling a fresh bouquet of flowers. His groan rumbled through him and made her shudder again, but this time, her nerves were quieted and her excitement was ramped all the way up.

“Do you mind if I taste you?” he asked her.

Her mouth felt dry as she nodded.

“I need words, Felicity.”

God. “Yes. Please.”

She’d read about this before. It had sounded awkward to her before but right now, with Oliver right there, touching her and looking at her as though she was the sexiest woman on the planet, it sounded like heaven. Her opinion was confirmed as he dipped his head and licked a stripe up her folds before swirling around the little bundle of nerves at her apex.

“Holy shhhhhhhit,” she gasped, arching and clutching the bedspread in her fists.

Oliver smirked before returning to his work. Never before had she known a tongue could be used like this, lashing and tasting and probing and tapping… It took almost no time at all before Felicity could feel her muscles begin to seize and clench, the tension in her building and building…

“Oh… ohhh! Oliver!”

“That’s it, honey. Come for me. Just let go…” he urged her softly.

It felt so different from anything else she’d felt before. It felt enormous and almost scary and she was afraid to let it loose but Oliver’s request demanded to be complied with. With one last lash at her trembling clit, Felicity felt everything within her detonate. Her vision sheeted to white as she gasped and arched and before she could cry out, Oliver’s lips were on hers, swallowing down her cries. She tasted herself and him and it was the most heady, most erotic thing she’d ever experienced in her sixteen years of life.

“Holy frak,” she gasped, panting for air. Oliver grinned down at her, looking ever so smug and she might have made a remark about it if he didn’t have every reason to be smug.

“That’s just the appetizer,” he told her. “Getting you warmed up, ready…”

His fingers traced down her body, soothing her down from her high, waiting out the rippling aftershocks of her shattering climax. After a few minutes, his fingers slipped between her legs, petting her there. The sensation was almost too much, but he was patient and slow and soon she was trembling for another reason. He slipped a finger inside her, groaning.

“You’re so damn tight and hot,” he told her. “I can’t wait to get inside you.”

Since a finger of his was already in there, she figured he meant another part of his magnificent body altogether. Imagining it, what it might feel like, made her want it even more. But Oliver took his time, stroking her, slowly pumping his finger before adding another finger. She realized he was stretching her, gently and carefully, getting her ready to be penetrated.

It was so sweet and thoughtful and caring that she wanted to do something for him. Reaching between them, she felt for the button of his jeans and popped it. Oliver lifted his head enough to meet her eyes and raised an eyebrow. “I want to play too,” she explained.

He drew back and peeled off his jeans and the boxers he wore beneath them and Felicity felt her mouth dry up as she watched him reveal the rest of his body to her. The sight of a naked, excited male was intimidating but she was feeling so aroused right now that all she wanted to do was touch and bring him pleasure like he’d been bringing to her.

Reaching behind her body, she unclasped her bra, drawing the straps down her arms before tossing it aside. Now she was completely bared to him and there was something affirming in how his gaze was drawn to her breasts. He moved her back down onto the bed and she eagerly spread her legs for his questing fingers again. This time, as he pumped two fingers into her, he lowered his mouth to her breast, taking her nipple in and flicking it with the tip of his tongue. She arched against him, gasping. Then, she remembered her previous goal and reached between them for where he was hard and straining for her.

Felicity had zero experience with the male anatomy but she’d seen pictures before. She’d also seen a few videos. She knew what to expect, generally speaking. But Oliver exceeded every expectation she might have ever had. He was thick and long, the skin soft and the flesh underneath hard and hot. She enjoyed feeling the veins and the ridges of the fat head, the little slit at the top. She explored to her heart’s content, enjoying how her curious touches made him moan against her breasts.

Oliver’s fingers moved faster and she could hear the noises they made as they pumped into her body. She was very wet, wetter than she’d ever been in her life but she was also more aroused than she’d ever been in her life. He added another finger.

“Does that hurt?” he asked softly.

“No, it…” She gasped as he brushed something inside of her that shot sensation through her whole body. “It feels good.”

“I think you’re ready.” With one last kiss to her right breast, he moved up, removing his fingers. Felicity watched him lick her essence off his digits, feeling a blush rise on her cheeks. He winked at her before reaching for his boxers.

“What are you doing?” she asked, feeling the stirrings of panic.

“I need a condom,” he told her. “I’ll be right back, just running into my room.”

Felicity swallowed down the automatic question about why he had condoms. Of course she knew he’d had sex before. He was responsible with it and that… was not nothing.

Oliver was true to his word and was back before her body had even begun to cool. He’d brought the whole box with him, which made her raise her eyebrows.

“Just in case,” he explained as he crawled back onto the bed.

“Someone is feeling confident of his abilities,” she said, grinning.

“Maybe. And maybe you just turn me on so much that I know just once will never be enough with you.”

That was so hot and so… sweet. Oliver was so unexpected in all the best ways. He suckled at her left nipple while he stroked his fingers in her again, just making sure she was still wet and ready. And she absolutely was.

“Oliver…” she groaned, pleadingly.

“Are you sure?” he asked her. “We don’t have to go all the way. We can just sleep, I’ll hold you all night. I promise.”

Her heart felt like it was going to burst. “I’m sure,” she said. “Please, I want to be with you.”

Oliver nodded and tore open the condom wrapper. She watched, curious, as he rolled it onto his flushed cock, her mouth watering at the sight. Her anticipation ramped up, knowing that his cock would soon be inside her body. They would be joined together and this would change everything. Excitement was too small a word for what she felt.

“Ready?” he asked, breathless. He was poised over her, her legs around his, his hand on his cock, brushing it through her damp folds and nudging her clit.

“Yes… please…”

Slowly, he began to push inside of her. She could feel every inch of his length as it entered her. The sensation was unlike anything else, even his fingers. The pressure stole her breath and she could see that Oliver was straining with the effort that came from taking it slow.

“Are you okay?” he asked, panting.

She nodded. “Yeah… just… keep going.”

Finally, his hips settled against hers and Felicity was able to take a few breaths and revel in the sensation of them being completely joined. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling the strength of his back muscles. She kissed his jaw. “You can move,” she told him. “I’m okay.”

Oliver started slow, drawing back before pushing carefully inside. The feel of it was quickly changing from being strange to feeling so good. So satisfying. But not enough.

“More,” she begged. “Harder, Oliver.”

“Felicity,” he gasped as he slammed into her, causing her to cry out into his shoulder. “I’m trying to take it easy on you.”

“Please… I’m good. I need more.”

Swearing lowly, Oliver sped up. Quick as a bullet, Felicity’s arousal spiraled up until she was lifting her hips in a rhythm with his, reveling in the sounds of pleasure he was making and making her own. God, this felt amazing. He was amazing.

Felicity felt his fingers reach between their sweaty bodies, sliding down her abdomen and towards where their bodies were joined. She was about to ask what he was doing when she felt his fingers thrum against her clit. Rubbing, circling, pressing… he was urging on her orgasm and Felicity was helpless to do anything other than obey.

Oliver moved faster, his hips snapping now and she could see the sweat on his forehead. “Come on, Felicity. I want to feel you come around my cock,” he said, grunting. “I’m so close, baby.”

“I’m close too,” she moaned. “Holy frak, Oliver…..”

“Let go. C’mon. Let it go.”

The room was filled with their gasps and the sound of their flesh meeting over and over again, the soft squeaking of the bed as Oliver pounded into her. The sensations all collided and she felt a scream bubbling up in her throat. She had the barest presence of mind to bury her face into Oliver’s shoulder as the primal noise spilled out of her mouth. Her whole body tensed and released… over and over and over. This climax was unlike the other he’d given her, it was so intense that she truly wondered for a moment if she was dying. She came back to her senses just soon enough to see Oliver tumble over the edge after her. He gasped her name as his hips pounded fitfully before finally coming to a rest, his whole body pressed to hers as he rested his forehead on hers, breathing hard, sweat dripping.

“Holy shit,” he muttered.

“That was amazing,” she replied, still breathless herself. “Is it always like that?”

Oliver rolled off her to lay on his back next to her. “With you? Probably.”

Felicity was still trying to catch her breath when Oliver got up and padded into the attached en suite. When he returned, the condom had been disposed of and she took her own turn in the bathroom. She used the toilet quickly and then washed her hands, looking at her reflection. Her hair was wild but her face looked… lit up. Her eyes were sparkling and her lips were swollen. She’d just had sex. For the very first time. With Oliver Queen. And it was amazing.

She stepped out of the bathroom and found Oliver in the bed, the covers drawn back. He beckoned her over to him and she eagerly climbed in next to him. “Are you going to sleep in here?” she asked him.

He kissed her forehead before settling them both down into the pillows. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Felicity happily curled into his side as she let the claws of sleep pull her under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... THAT happened! The end and happily ever after right? RIGHT?!?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final competition of the week looms, as does Felicity's impending return to Vegas. Will the real world burst the new couple's happy bubble?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit sorry for the timing of this... with the pandemic and all, we could use more fluff and happy than angst but.... you all knew this was coming. So here it is!

Oliver woke up when the rays of the dawning sun settled over the bed, brightening the room and illuminating his and Felicity’s bare skin in the morning light. Felicity was curled against him, her body lax and spent from the last time they’d woken, just a couple hours before. They’d come together again, this time with her on top of him which she really seemed to enjoy.

He watched her sleep, her dark eyelashes brushing against her pale cheeks. Sex with Felicity was so much more than he’d even anticipated it would be. He was no stranger to sex but it had never been like that before him. Ever. He felt humbled and awed this morning. They’d experienced a true connection. And, he knew now, he was in love with her.

Before that thought could truly play out in his mind, a buzzing from the floor distracted him. Carefully, he removed his arm from around Felicity and rolled over to investigate. It was his phone, buzzing with a call from inside his jeans pocket. Quietly, he eased out of the bed, snatched up the jeans and fished out his phone. It was Tommy calling. Oliver answered it while quickly padding into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him so he didn’t wake Felicity.

“Hello?” he said, keeping his voice down.

“Hey buddy. Sleep well?” There was a tone to Tommy’s voice that put Oliver instantly on edge.

“What are you doing up so early, Tommy?” he asked.

“Early riser, I guess. But clearly you were still in bed. Did you not sleep well?” The concern in Tommy’s voice was fake, Oliver could tell. And yes, he’d slept fantastic, probably the best sleep he’d ever had in his life. But Felicity had worn him out, both times. Oliver felt like he could sleep at least another two hours, easy.

All that aside, he didn’t like what he was feeling off of Tommy right now.

“I slept great,” Oliver said, hoping he sounded unconcerned.

“Did you have company?”

“What the hell do you mean?”

“A little birdie told me you left that mixer at the school last night with a blonde girl with glasses. The same one I saw you chasing after at your party. Is this true?”

“Tommy…”

“Come on. You usually always give me all the goods. You can’t blame me for being curious.”

It was true, Oliver and Tommy absolutely were the sorts to kiss and tell before all this. Since he hit puberty, Oliver hadn’t so much as kissed a girl without filling Tommy on all the details. He’d always thought that’s just what guys do when they’re friends. But this time… it didn’t feel right.

“Haven’t we grown past that?” he asked, not even having to fake the weariness in his voice.

“That doesn’t sound like a denial,” Tommy pointed out. “So you bagged yourself a nerd. Well done, my friend.”

“Listen, Tommy, I can’t talk right now. Can I give you a call later?”

“Yeah, yeah. Go wish your little nerd luck. I hear the Starling Prep team plans to make mincemeat out of her and her teammates.” Tommy chuckled.

Oliver hung up and scrubbed a hand over his face. Fucking hell.

He emerged after using the restroom and found Felicity still in bed, stretching luxuriously. The blanket rode low over her hips, leaving the top of her exposed to his gaze and he stood at the foot of the bed for a long moment, drinking in the sight of her.

Her eyes blinked open and she squinted at him. “Oliver? What are you doing all the way over there.”

“I got up to use the bathroom but now I’m all cold,” he told her, climbing back into bed next to her. She squealed when he pressed his cold feet against her calves.

“I can warm you up,” she suggested saucily, attempting and failing a wink. It was adorable.

“How would you do that?” he asked huskily.

“Hmmm…” She eyed him thoughtfully before pressing on his shoulder. “Lay down.”

Oliver obeyed, intrigued to see what she had planned. Felicity moved down the bed, stroking along his body, paying extra attention to his abs, pressing little kisses here and there. Then, she reached his cock and wrapped her hand around it, stroking softly.

“God,” he groaned. She tightened her fist which made him gasp. “Felicity…”

“I want to try something…” she murmured. Bending her head, she licked experimentally at the tip of his cock and Oliver had to brace himself so his hips did not shoot off the bed, seeking the warmth of her mouth.

“Do you like this?” She ran her tongue along the length of his cock which was now at full attention.

“Yes,” he moaned. “Please…”

“Please what?” She pressed a kiss to the underside, her fingers dancing over his balls before licking back up the length to play with the sensitive head.

“Please… suck me…” Oliver never had to beg for a blow job. But from Felicity, he would get on his hands and knees. Luckily, that whispered plea was enough and a moment later, she engulfed the head of his cock into her mouth. His eyes rolled back into her head as she took as much of him as she could.

He had to instruct her a little, but for a newbie, Felicity was amazingly good at sucking his cock. She took direction very well, clearly eager to please him. Honestly, just her showing up pleased him so she didn’t have to work too hard. Still, she gave it her all and before he could explode and put and end to their little interlude, Oliver flipped her over, rolled on a condom, thrust into her and then rode her to a swift and joyous climax.

By the time they’d taken a shower together (and, okay, fooled around a little) and gotten dressed, they were running late. The rest of Felicity’s team had already gone ahead with Rob the driver so Oliver drove her to the school, along with her suitcase, in his coupe. He’d planned to go to this last match regardless, just to cheer her on. Plus, there was something niggling at him, something he wanted to tell her. Originally, he was going to wait but they were running out of town. Maybe before the match?

“I wish I didn’t have to leave so soon,” Felicity said wistfully as he navigated the streets towards the school.

“Me too,” he replied. “But Vegas isn’t all that far. I can come visit you.”

She turned to smile at him. “Yeah?”

“Oh yeah. Already planning on it, actually. And then next year, we’ll both be on the east coast.”

“That’s true. Princeton isn’t all that far from MIT, is it?”

“It’s doable. I can come see you all the time. You can take the train down to see me. We’ll make it work.” Oliver almost didn’t recognize himself. Making plans to visit a girl, long distance, was not in his makeup. But Felicity changed a lot, including him. She was worth all of that and more. He’d climb mountains just to spend more time with her.

“That sounds like a great idea,” she murmured. “Thank you, Oliver.”

“For what?”

“Being you. I’ve had the best time this week.”

It was his turn to smile. “I’m glad to hear it, and it was all my pleasure.”

When they got to the school, Oliver found the charter buses already lined up and brought Felicity’s suitcase over to be loaded on board. Something was bothering him. With the revelation of his feelings for her, Oliver knew he had to tell Felicity. He held her hand as they followed the rest of the students into the school, wondering if now was the time.

“Felicity?” He stopped and she stopped in front of him. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

She smiled. “Can it wait till after the match? If I don’t get in there, I think Randall might throw me from the bus later.”

To punctuate this, Randall called down the hall towards them. “C’mon, Smoak! We need to get in there!”

Oliver blew out a breath. “Okay. After.”

He kissed her sweetly, brushing her cheek with his thumb. “Go knock them dead, killer.”

“I’ll do my best!”

He watched as she jogged away to join her team and then went into the gym to get a seat for himself.

***

“And the winners of the Western Academic Championship is… South Las Vegas High School!”

There were cheers from some of the other schools that were there to watch the competition still but there was also a sizable number of boos and grumbles. It made sense, since the majority of the audience was loyal to the home team, Starling Prep. And South Las Vegas High School had just trounced them into the dirt.

The rest of her team were clapping her on the back and hugging her excitedly. It was she who had given the final correct answer leading to their decisive victory. She happily congratulated them all right back, reminding everyone that it was a team effort and they all had done a great job today. And they had. All her teammates had had a chance to shine and show their expertise today and she was so proud of them all.

Everyone slowly began making their way towards the gym doors and Felicity entered the crowd, looking for Oliver. Finally she found him, right before the gym doors, standing a good head taller than most everyone else there and wearing a huge grin on his face. He rushed forward the instant he saw her.

Oliver swept her up into his arms, laughing and spinning around. She was laughing too, her head thrown back. This was the best day. And she wasn’t sure what made it the best; winning the competition or being with Oliver.

“I’m so proud of you! You killed it in there!”

“I had help,” she pointed out. He let her slide down the length of his body until her feet were on the ground once more, but he didn’t remove his arms from around her. She looped hers around his neck to keep him close.

“I’m unconvinced. I saw who gave the winning answer,” he murmured, dropping a soft kiss on the tip of her nose, making her laugh.

“Shouldn’t you be more upset that your school lost?” Felicity asked him.

He shrugged. “No, not when they were playing against my girlfriend.” He caught her hand with his and tugged her along with him as they followed everyone out of the school. She knew the buses were waiting out there and was reluctant to part from him.

Also… girlfriend? Pleasure bloomed through her at the recognition of her importance to him. Of their commitment to one another. It hadn’t been just a one night thing with them. Or a one week thing. This was real.

“You promise you’re going to come to Vegas to visit?” she pressed, nudging his shoulder with hers.

He nudged back. “Of course! If you’ll have me.”

“Oh, I’ll have you alright,” she said, letting her tone be intentionally suggestive. They stopped just short of the buses and Oliver turned to her with a soft growl, bending swiftly to catch her lips in a passionate kiss.

She returned it, not caring which of her classmates saw. Or his. His arms tightened around her and she lost herself in the taste of him, the feel of those plush lips of his moving against hers, the slide of his tongue as he sought and gained entrance. God, she could kiss him forever.

“Ollie!” a shrill voice split the air and Felicity felt Oliver tense up immediately.He drew back, only far enough to rest his forehead against hers, his lips hovering just overs and it felt like he was trying, desperately, to hold onto the moment.

“Dammit,” he muttered before releasing her altogether. Felicity peered around him as he turned to face the girl who was standing before him, arms crossed and scowl in place over her perfect features. She was slightly familiar, Felicity felt like she’d seen her at some point this last week but couldn’t quite remember when.

“Hey, Laurel. What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice even. If Felicity hadn’t been so near him, she might have missed how stiff he’d gone.

“Someone told me I should get down here and see my boyfriend slumming it with some other girl. I thought he had to be joking but here you are. With her.”

Felicity’s heart dropped somewhere near her stomach and her ears were filled with buzzing. Boyfriend? She was vaguely aware of Oliver stepping forward to grab this girl’s arm and saying, “Laurel, let’s talk about this somewhere okay? Not here.”

“Not here?” Laurel screeched. “In public, in front of everyone? Not like you weren’t just making out with this little tramp in public, in front of everyone?”

Tramp?? That was a new one. Felicity had only not been a virgin for less than 18 hours and now she was a tramp? What the hell was going on here?

“Oliver, is this your girlfriend? Do you already have a girlfriend?” The hurt crept into her voice, she couldn’t possibly hold it back. Tears pricked behind her eyes. Her chest felt tight and she was breathing hard like she’d just run a marathon.

Oliver turned to her and the instant she saw his eyes, she knew it was true. He looked devastated and Felicity felt a spark of anger. Of course he was devastated that she’d found out! He took a step towards her and she instantly backed away, lifting a hand up to ward him off and shaking her head. His face crumpled even more.

“Felicity, please. Let me explain—“

“No.” Her heart felt like it was cracking in two and she heaved a breath, a breath that was choked off by a sob. “I can’t believe you, Oliver. You let me think— And all this time you had a girlfriend.”

She looked to the girl who still had her arms crossed and who was shooting her the dirtiest of dirty looks and felt the heat of shame crawling up her neck. Felicity tried to ignore the cluster of students surrounding them, gawking at the scene they were making.

“Laurel, is it?” Felicity asked carefully.

The brunette turned cold eyes on her. “Laurel Lance. Oliver’s girlfriend.”

“Laurel… I’m so sorry,” Felicity said solemnly. Laurel didn’t show even the slightest hint of softening. If anything, she scowled at her even more. “I swear that I had no idea he had a girlfriend. I’m as floored by this revelation as you are.”

She cast Oliver a scathing glare and was nearly pleased to see him pale visibly. He moved towards her. “Felicity…”

She held up a hand, and he stopped, heeding her wishes. Thank god for small favors. “I’m nowhere near ready to talk to you yet.” She refocused on Laurel who still was seething at her. Everyone around them was dead silent, keen to lap up any of the unfolding drama that they could.

Felicity tried again, moving closer to Laurel, slowly and carefully as though she was approaching a wounded animal. “I don’t make a habit of sleeping with other girls’ boyfriends. I don’t make a habit of sleeping with anyone period, actually.” She cleared her throat. So not the time or place to bring up the fact she’d been a virgin. Felicity purposefully avoided looking at Oliver. “If I had known, I never would have—”

Crack!

Her sentence was cut off as Laurel slapped her, suddenly and hard across the cheek. Felicity gasped, her hand immediately going up to her face, feeling where it was hot. It stung badly enough to bring tears to her eyes. Well. More tears.

“I’m not interested in your pathetic excuses, you little slut,” Laurel hissed at her. “You aren’t worth the time it’d take you to try to explain yourself. You think you’re special? You think you’re the first he’s done this with?”

Felicity shifted her stance, a little uncomfortable. “Well, no, obviously now I know he was with you… is with you, sorry. And—”

“I’m not talking about me,” Laurel said with a dramatic eye roll. “Though I am his first and you know what they say… you never forget your first. Which is just yet another reason you’re so fucking pathetic. You probably think you’re special to him but, honey, you’ll never be more special than I am. I was his first.”

Felicity was taken aback by this. It was a strange argument to make, given the situation. She tried to backtrack. “What were you talking about, then?”

“Ollie has had other pathetic girls in the past. They mean nothing to him, just like you mean nothing. He’ll forget your name by next week.”

Felicity’s jaw dropped open. “Wait… you’re telling me he’s cheated on you before and you know about it? And you are still with him??”

For the first time, Laurel looked slightly uncomfortable. She glanced at her friends who were avoiding her eyes. Felicity glanced sharply at some of them. More than a few were blushing and stealing glances at Oliver. Oh for the love of…

“Listen, Laurel. I really am sorry for the part I played in this. Though it’s clear to me that you’re a nasty person. Instead of slapping me and staking a claim that I am in no way interested in challenging… you should be focusing your anger at him. I didn’t know he was already with you, but he did and he slept with me anyhow. He’s apparently slept with a lot of other girls while he’s been with you but you keep taking him back. That just tells him that he can get away with it and he’ll just keep doing it. You should probably find a way to rein him in before he knocks up one of your friends, here.”

The other girls gasped and Laurel looked completely outraged. Before she could say anything, though, Felicity had one more thing she had to get off her chest.

“If you were truly smart, you’d ditch this unfaithful cad because you, yes even you, can do better than this. He doesn’t respect you but you should respect yourself. I’m not even mad you slapped me. I deserve it, but he deserves even worse. Maybe you need to think about that. As for me, I have a bus to catch.”

With those words still hanging in the air, Felicity flipped her hair over her shoulder as she turned and strutted off towards the bus waiting to ferry her and her classmates back to Las Vegas.

It wasn’t until she was seated next to the window that she dared look to see what was going on outside the bus. Oliver was trying to walk to the bus, but Laurel was clinging to his arm, dragging him back. It looked like she was pleading with him. Felicity rolled her eyes. It looked like her words had fallen on deaf ears.

The bus doors slid shut with an electronic hiss and the coach lurched as the driver pulled away from the curb. Felicity saw Oliver get to the bus just as they were pulling away and his eyes met hers through the glass. He looked… devastated.

She could scarcely believe it. To go from the top of the world to… the absolute bottom… just like that. In an instant, the best day of her life had transformed into the worst. The betrayal cut through her like a knife. And she cursed herself for being so naive that she never even considered that Oliver had a girlfriend. Of course he did! But she’d thought she knew him. And she thought he never would have kept something like that from her. Felicity had been so blinded by her love for him that she hadn’t been able to see anything else besides just him. What a fool she’d been.

Felicity tried to ignore the painful throb in her chest as she pulled out her headphones and cued up a song to listen to, drowning out the chatter of her classmates around her as she settled in for the long drive home.

***

Oliver knew that this must be karma. He’d been so careless with so many people, so many girls, and now it was his turn to reap the consequences of that. The absolute irony of him finally understanding what love was and how to treat a girl well only to then lose that love and that girl… it was devastating.

Oliver had spent the entire last week since Felicity had climbed onto that bus and left him locked away in his room. Raisa brought him meals and sometimes he ate but mostly he didn’t. Thea came by often enough and he always let her in. If nothing else, he wanted to do better by his little sister. That week had shown him not just how to treat a girl he was in love with, but how to treat his own family.

Tommy had come by multiple times wanting to hang out or just talk. Oliver had ignored him each time, not even opening his door to his oldest friend. Laurel came by too and he’d told Raisa not to even let her in the house. He didn’t want to look at her face right now.

Though, there was a small voice inside of him that told him he’d hurt Laurel too. And perhaps her vindictiveness was born out of what he’d done to her. What goes around, comes around.

Oliver had tried everything he could to contact Felicity. He’d tried calling her cell phone and sending her texts. The number was changed on him. He’d sent emails. She’d cancelled her account. He even tried mailing letters. But there was no response. Nothing. Not even a word. He was devastated.

It hurt to have her torn from him so completely but what was even worse was knowing how badly he’d hurt her. All week long, Oliver had wanted to do anything he could to keep her safe and happy and protect and it was all for nothing. He’d hurt her more keenly than he ever would have had he just ignored her the whole week.

Oliver didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t ready to give up just yet. He wanted to fight for her, for what they could have together. He knew they were young but he also knew what he felt wasn’t something that came along every day. They could make this work, he knew they could, if she’d just listen to him. He was about ready to buy a ticket and fly down to Vegas to try to talk to her face to face. He was that desperate.

There was a knock at his bedroom door, jostling Oliver from his musings. He sat up in bed, where he’d been hiding all day long. “Ollie, it’s me, Thea.”

“Come in.” The only two people he’d allowed in his room the last week were Thea and Raisa. Maybe Thea would want to watch a movie on his TV in here like she had on her last couple of visits. That was fine by him; he could zone out pretty easily but still be spending time with his little sister. Win win.

Her little brunette head bobbed into the room and came into view next to the bed. Her expression was somber, as it often was around him these days. “What’s up, Speedy?”

That made her smile. “I like when you call me that.”

“Good, then I’ll keep doing it.”

“You gots a letter.” She held it out to him and Oliver looked at the envelope as though he’d never seen such a thing before. He never got mail. “It’s from F’licity.”

In a flash, Oliver was swinging his legs over the side of the bed and snatching the letter from Thea’s outstretched hand. It was indeed from Felicity. That was her neat, precise handwriting on the front.

Thea was eyeing him. “Raisa said to bring it to you but then to let you be alone. So Imma do that.”

Before he could reply, she darted out of the room, closing the door behind her. Oliver barely noticed, running his fingers over her return address, the loops and swirls of her name there.

Then, he was tearing the envelope open and ripping out the sheet of paper within. Why would she send him a letter and not an email, or heck, even call him? As he lifted the letter, he caught the familiar scent of her and he brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. His heart throbbed. Shit, he missed her. In his mind, he was already buying that ticket to Vegas.

Taking a deep breath, Oliver steadied himself and began to read what she’d written to him.

_Dear Oliver,_

_I hate that it has come to this but I need to ask you to please stop trying to contact me. Please. I’ve already changed my number and my email and if I could move and not leave a forwarding address, I would. I suppose that effect would be met when I leave for university this fall but I would really like to spend the rest of my last summer at home not dreading every trip to the mailbox._

_I have a feeling your next move will be to come down here yourself and I simply can’t bear the thought of it. So that is why I’m writing this letter to you now. I want you to forget me, Oliver. Please. Please don’t come down here to see me, please don’t come to see me at MIT. Don’t send me any more letters, don’t try to find my number or new email. Just leave me alone._

_I don’t want to hear your excuses. There is no excuse for what you did. I cannot fathom that the man I thought cared so much about me was actually cheating on his girlfriend. I can’t believe that you would do that. I thought I knew you better and the knowledge that I did not absolutely guts me. Thinking about you now only brings me pain. Pain for what I lost and pain over what a fool I was in the first place. I made so many mistakes._

_Please. If you ever cared about me at all, let me go. I’m doing my best to forget that week and I suggest you do the same. Goodbye, Oliver._

_Felicity_

The sheet of paper slipped from his hand and drifted to the carpet at his feet. Oliver’s throat ached, his head throbbed and his heart just plain hurt. That was it. Felicity was more than clear. She wanted nothing to do with him. She thought what they’d shared was a mistake. A mistake.

Laying back down, Oliver pulled his arm over his eyes, blocking out the sunlight in the room. It was over. Whatever feelings Felicity might have had for him were gone and she wanted to forget him, wanted him to do the same with her. While Oliver knew he could never forget her, he figured he could honor her last wish to him. He would leave her alone. For her sake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry! Don't hate me!! The scene at the bus... was actually the starting point for this fic. One day, gosh... I think a couple years ago? I was getting ready for the day and that scene popped, fully formed, into my head. And it would. not. leave. me. alone. until I wrote it all down. I showed the scene to Shel (@andachippedcup) shortly before NaNoWriMo this last year and she demanded I write more of it. 
> 
> Rest assured this is NOT the end of the story. Hopefully you will enjoy what I have coming next for these two. No, I do not excuse what Oliver did. But also, Laurel may have exaggerated some. In this story, as in the show, they are as toxic a couple as it gets. Does it excuse cheating? No. But they dance with this grey line of broken up/back together a lot. And, for what it's worth, everything Oliver felt and thought in the scenes previous... those were GENUINE. He really did fall for her. And this mess is a large part of why he tried to avoid getting into something with Felicity. But he's a weak boy, what can I say? YES he should have told her. ABSOLUTELY. It's a safe bet he'll regret that misstep for a WHILE. 
> 
> Anyhow. *HUGS* to you all. Thank for reading. More next week.


	8. Ten Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time has passed and Felicity Smoak finds herself back in Starling City, thanks to a job offer she couldn't refuse. It's only a matter of time until she runs into Oliver Queen, the one man she hopes never to see again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for sticking with me. I am so grateful for all the comments on the last chapter. I know it was heartbreaking. My angsty little heart just had to write it and it was that moment that this entire fic was borne from. We experience a little time jump here... but time heals all wounds, right? At least that's what Oliver is hoping... 
> 
> new banner provided by the wonder @lexiblackbriar 💜

_**Ten years later...** _

Returning to Starling City was never in her plans. As much as she loved this city, the memories she associated with it from her last time here, ten years ago, were so painful that the thought of returning was unthinkable. But then… she’d been offered the job of a lifetime.

Felicity had been working as the head of the IT department at Kord Industries in Metropolis. It wasn’t a bad job; far from it. But it was still just IT and Felicity had higher goals than taking care of the company’s computers. She wanted to develop new technology, implement it, watch it grow and change the world. That was where her passion lay and she was never going to realize that in the IT department.

Ray Palmer, the young, handsome billionaire CEO and owner of Palmer Technologies, had sought her out. They’d dated briefly while attending MIT together and had parted as friends. Ray had started his company right after graduation, boosted by the generous funding of his wealthy parents. She’d been happy for him, but also jealous. She knew her mother would give her all the money in the world to start her own tech empire if she could, but waitressing in Vegas didn’t bring in a lot of cash. So, Felicity knew she’d just have to raise the capital on her own, which meant getting her name out there and appealing to investors.

And to do that? She’d have to get out of IT and into some higher profile positions. Ray had offered her a job running his new Research and Development department which was opening at his office in Starling City. The position was a dream come true. The city she’d have to move to… less so.

The way things had ended between her and Oliver was… devastating. Felicity’s heart hadn’t just been broken, it’d been crushed. She’d thought she had met the love of her life… only to find out that he was lying to her the whole time. He’d had a girlfriend. She’d given her heart to a man who was so careless with hearts that it was breathtaking. She had thought she’d known him but as it had turned out, she hadn’t known him at all.

Of course, hindsight was 20/20 and Felicity realized now that it was impossible to completely know someone after just a handful of days. She’d allowed herself to get so swept up in him and in the feelings he inspired in her, that her better intuition had failed her. Never again.

Chances were, Oliver Queen didn’t even live here anymore. Though Felicity knew that was a foolish hope on her part. His family’s company, Queen Consolidated, was here. And it had sure sounded like he planned to work for the family company one day. The Queens had roots here in Starling.

These thoughts all milled through her mind as she walked briskly from the parking garage and into the lobby of Palmer Tech for the first time as the VP of Research and Development. A woman in a sharp blue suit met her at the desk. She introduced herself as Shirley Sandberg, the head of HR. She would be showing Felicity to her new office. Her brand new heels (a celebratory purchase on her part before she left Metropolis) clipped smartly on the polished tile as she made her way to the executive elevator.

A few of the employees shot her curious looks as she rode with Shirley up to the 37th floor.

“When did you get to Starling? I hope you’ve had enough time to decompress before coming in; moving cross country is a big deal!” Shirley remarked once they had the car to themselves.

“The day before yesterday,” Felicity replied. “I told Ray I was anxious to get started as soon as possible. Besides, all my things don’t get here on the truck until Wednesday and what would I do in that big, empty apartment all week? Stare at the walls? I’d go nuts,” Felicity quipped and Shirley grinned.

“That’s a good point. Still, I admire your can-do attitude. That should get you far, here.”

That was Felicity’s hope. Her plan, which Ray was aware of, was to work here for five years or so and build a portfolio of projects and make as many contacts as she could. And save back some money, of course. Then, when she was ready, she would begin launching her own company, something she’d been planning for since her first day at MIT. Before that, even.

When they arrived at the 37th floor, Felicity was delighted at the layout and design of the floor she’d be spending the majority of her work-life on for the next several years. There was a lab that was fairly central to everything on the floor and it was surrounded by cubicles and larger offices. The floor was mostly empty for the time being; Felicity would be overseeing the hiring of most of R&D herself, which was exciting. She already had a line on a host of promising candidates, both fresh out of university and a few older but eager applicants.

Shirley led her to her new office and Felicity was stunned speechless for a good minute as she stared around the enormous space. It was a corner office, which Ray had told her, but somehow she hadn’t pictured anything quite this grand. She had her own executive assistant, stationed right outside her door. Inside, there was enough room for a spacious seating area (including a couch that looked nearly comfy enough to sleep on) and a full bathroom, complete with shower. There was even a little kitchenette with a small fridge and a microwave and coffee pot.

“I might just move in here!” Felicity exclaimed when she finally found her voice again. “This could be bigger than my new apartment.” It wasn’t, of course, because Ray had found her an amazing apartment right by the river with more space than she could fathom but this office was absolutely the size of her old apartment in Metropolis, if not a tad bigger.

Shirley left her with a few packets. All her paperwork had already been signed digitally so she was all set. Now, all she needed to do was go meet with Ray in his office. He had asked her to meet him after she got settled in so he could go over her first big project on the job with her. She was excited to see what Ray had up his sleeve. Stowing her jacket, purse and other personal effects in her new office, Felicity once again headed to the elevators.

Ray’s office was on the 42nd floor, so she didn’t have many floors to travel up. His assistant spotted her right away and announced her to Ray. Felicity didn’t wait more than a minute before Ray came out of his office, wide, beaming smile in place. Ray was an attractive man, which was part of what had caught her attention in the first place back when they’d dated. He was tall and well built, with strong, wide shoulders and strong arms. His hair was black and full and waved perfectly without him having to do much to it. He had the warmest brown eyes she’d ever known and his smile could light up a room. He looked a bit like a Disney prince, she’d always thought. If there ever was a Disney prince with a penchant for sci-fi films and creating new technology.

“Felicity! You made it! I mean, I know you texted me when your flight arrived and when you got to your apartment and all of that but still. You found the building! And my office! Am I talking too loud?”

Felicity chuckled, feeling instantly at ease. That was the Ray she knew and loved. Well, not loved loved. But he was a good friend of hers and the fact that his babbling could out-rival her own made her all the more fond of him.

“Not at all, Ray. So, what’s this big project you asked me up here to discuss?”

“We, as in Palmer Tech, are going to collaborate with Queen Consolidated on their new phone in development.”

Felicity felt her face fall with this news. “What would we be doing?”

“Well, I know you are excited to start working on your new battery and I recently pitched that to the guys from QC and they love it. So we’re going to partner with them, provide the battery for the new phone.”

“So we’ll mostly be working separately from them, yes?” A note of hope made its way into her voice.

“Oh yes. Well, except we need to work with them on how to market the new battery when they release the information about the phone. But since you’ll be developing this battery in-house, that’s where you’ll be working with the representative from QC the most.”

It was silly of her, from a professional standpoint, to be upset at the thought of working with anyone from Queen Consolidated. After all, it was a huge company and her chances of having to deal with Oliver were still blessedly slim. He was likely on track to take over as CEO and she would be more likely to work with someone from Sales or Marketing. That made her feel better.

She and Ray went over a few more things before Felicity headed back down to 37 and her beautiful office. Once there, she sent the names of some applicantsdown to HR for them to contact for interviews. After that, work flowed easily as she settled into her new desk. In fact, she completely lost track of time and worked straight through lunch The only thing that stopped her flow, in fact, was a quick rap on her office door.

Thinking it was her assistant, Gary, she called out without looking up from her computer screen, “Come in!”

The door opened and there was a lengthy pause. Then, a hoarse voice said, “Felicity??”

Her head snapped up, her mouth falling open, causing the red pen she’d been nibbling on to fall out and clatter to her desk top. Oh, frack.

It was none other than Oliver Queen himself.

***

As the Palmer Tech building was just down the block from the Queen Consolidated tower, Oliver chose to walk to his meeting with Ray Palmer. The weather was nice, for mid-October, and he enjoyed seeing the changing colors of the leaves in the park across the street. 

The calm of his stroll was disturbed by the persistent ringing of his phone. He grabbed it out of his pocket, expecting it to be work but it was instead his good friend, Sara Lance. 

“Hey, Sara, what’s up?” he asked after he answered the call. 

“Guess who’s going to be in town this weekend? Moi! Want to hang?” 

Oliver had known Sara Lance for a good chunk of his life. She was the younger sister of his high school girlfriend, Laurel Lance. The very same Laurel who obliterated any relationship he could have had with Felicity Smoak that one fateful Saturday ten years before. Regardless of his tensions with his ex, however, he and Sara remained friends. And, when the occasion called for it, a little bit more. 

Sara was nothing like her sister. She was a bit of a free spirit, a nomad who liked to roam the world. Sara was lucky enough to turn her wanderlust into a lucrative career as a travel photojournalist. Occasionally, she returned to Starling for a few days, a few weeks… never longer than a month. And when she was in town, she and Oliver would often hook up. 

It was a no-strings-attached sort of arrangement. They were both more friends than they were anything else, but they did have sexual chemistry together. Sara enjoyed the release without being tied down to anyone and Oliver, well, he enjoyed the same release but he also took a perverse delight in how their casual relationship irritated Laurel. It was childish of him, he knew, but he still blamed Laurel in large part for what had happened with Felicity. He knew that him keeping his relationship with Laurel from Felicity was the real reason Felicity had run from him. But he also felt that it was because of Laurel’s confrontation that he had never gotten a chance to talk to Felicity about it and explain himself. There were gentler ways to go about that whole mess and Laurel had chosen to set off a bomb instead. 

Yeah, he knew she was upset and hurt but he’d feel a little more remorse for her if he didn’t know she hadn’t really cared about the cheating so much as she cared that he had feelings for Felicity. Feelings he’d never managed to really muster for Laurel herself. So that was why, ten years later, he harbored some resentment for his ex and delighted in twisting the screws a little bit. 

Lately, however, he’d begun to change his feelings on that. He wasn’t interested in hurting Laurel anymore. He also wasn’t as interested in casual hookups as he’d once been. It was getting tiresome, the immaturity and the unsettled nature of his love life. He wanted to be with someone he could settle down with, raise a family, be happy. He knew Laurel still hoped that might be her someday, judging by the many ways she tried to insert herself into his life even to this day. But he longed for something more. He wanted a deeper connection with someone. 

He’d almost had that with Felicity. Sure, they’d been little more than kids at the time, and had barely known each other a week, but that had been long enough for Oliver to start developing deeper feelings for her than he’d ever felt for a girl before or since. It was too late now, though. She’d refused to talk with him after the confrontation with Laurel and it’d been ten long years since then. Oliver needed to move on, to find someone else to love. And hooking up with Sara didn’t feel like the right way to go about doing that. 

“I’d definitely love to meet with you for drinks or something, Sara, but… I’m not sure about anything else.”

“Oh? Did you meet someone, Ollie?? Ooh! Tell me who it is! I want allll the details. Does this mean you’re finally getting over Felicity??” Sara chattered excitedly. 

He’d told Sara all about Felicity after the incident, not wanting Laurel to poison her sister against the poor girl and partly just to have someone to talk to about it all. Tommy wasn’t exactly sympathetic and none of his other friends were really the sort to share thoughts and feelings with. Sara had been after him for years to get over Felicity, even going so far as to set him up on dates with people she thought he’d like. Nothing, of course, had panned out. 

“No, that’s not it.” Oliver winced as he pulled open the door to the Palmer Tech lobby.He didn’t want to discuss his reasoning over the phone, especially not as he entered a full elevator a few moments later. “Can we talk later? I’ve got a meeting here in a few minutes.” 

“Sure. I’ll let you off the hook. For now. But when I get there, I expect a full explanation!”

“You’ll get one.” Or, rather, she’d get what he felt comfortable sharing. Sara was pretty good for confiding in but his ennui might be outside of her particular wheelhouse. 

Oliver rode the rest of the way up to the CEO’s office working on getting his mind back on business. He’d met Palmer once before, at a charity event at the polo field a couple weeks ago.A nice enough guy, if a bit too much with the nervous energy. He was clearly a brilliant man, however, and fantastic at developing groundbreaking technology. It was after that meeting that he’d floated the idea to his father and the other QC VPs that they partner with Palmer Tech when developing their new tablet. Palmer had mentioned they were developing a battery that was smaller and more efficient than anything else on the market, capable of powering a device like a tablet for weeks at a time, not just days. Everyone had loved the idea and so Oliver had been tapped to work out the details with Palmer himself and set up the marketing for it. 

“Oliver!” Ray exclaimed as he came out of his office, his long strides eating up the distance between them. He clasped Oliver’s hands in his own and beamed warmly at him. “Great to see you again. We’re so excited to be working with QC on this new tablet. I think it will spell great things for both our companies.” 

“That is the hope, Ray,” Oliver said. “Anyhow, I’m here to begin working on the preliminaries of what this battery is going to mean for the production of the tablet as well as the marketing.”

“Yes! And it’s perfect timing, of course, because my new head of R&D just started today and she is the perfect person to work with on this as she is the one developing the battery. Let me take you to her office.” 

Oliver raised his eyebrows but followed Palmer as he strode towards the elevators. He’d expected to work with Ray himself on this but it actually did make sense to work with the person responsible for the battery directly, that way nothing would get lost in translation. The whole ride down to the 37th floor, Ray talked up his new hire, extolling her brilliance. 

“I snatched her away from Kord Industries, which let me tell you, was one of my finest moments. She’s worth every penny and I’m sure you’ll agree once you meet her. But, no stealing her from Palmer Tech. I called dibs,” Ray joked. 

“I promise, she’s all yours,” Oliver replied. 

Ray talked all the way to the VP of R&D’s office. The assistant’s desk was empty, presumably the EA was still at lunch. “It’s okay, you can just go in. She’s in there. She’s been in there all day, working hard. I guess she wanted to hit the ground running. Anyhow, I’d stick around but I have to get back to my office to meet with the head of my board of directors.” He pulled a face at that before dashing off. 

Oliver shook his head at Palmer’s whirlwind antics. He was actually rather glad that he wasn’t going to be working directly with Ray; the man would exhaust him within an hour. He stepped up to the door and knocked. 

“Come in!” the voice behind it called out and Oliver turned the knob and stepped inside. 

The corner office was impressive; bigger even than his own rather large office over at Queen Consolidated. The enormous windows overlooked the river and the bay and all the towering office buildings around the downtown corridor. It was a million dollar view, better than what he had (which was staring directly into the windows of the Merlyn Global Group building next door). There was an enormous glass and steel desk and behind that desk sat the woman he was there to see… 

All the air left his lungs all at once. His chest felt as though he’d just received a quick kick, right over his heart. The woman there was older, sleeker… but every bit as beautiful as she was the day she’d stepped off that charter bus all those years ago. 

“Felicity??” he gasped. Her head snapped up, a red pen falling from her lips and, oh lord, her lips. Full and lush as ever, painted a sophisticated red… they made his knees feel suddenly weak. He’d kissed those lips, once upon a time. 

Her hair was still blonde but considerably lighter and brighter. Instead of the ponytail he remembered, it fell around her shoulders in golden waves. She still wore glasses but these were far more stylish frames, making her blue-grey eyes look enormous. But that could have been the wide-eyed shock that painted itself across her beautiful face. It was Felicity, his Felicity. He could scarcely believe it. 

“Oliver?? What are you doing here?” Her voice was breathy and music to his ears, but her tone registered shock, not pleasure. 

“I’m here to meet with Palmer Tech’s VP of Research and Development. Is that you?”

She blinked rapidly a few times, staring at him as though she couldn’t believe he was standing there in her office. Hell, he couldn’t believe it either. 

Felicity cleared her throat. “Yes, that’s me. And you… are the marketing guy from Queen Consolidated that I was supposed to meet with?”

He nodded as she slowly looked him up and down, likely making the same comparison to the him from her memories just as he had had done when he first saw her. 

“I thought you were planning to take over as CEO some day?” she asked, a little wrinkle appearing between her eyes. Adorable. 

“I still am,” he told her. “I’m working my way through the company, learning the ropes and learning how things work. I’ve been the VP of Marketing for about a year and a half now.”

“Ah.” 

Oliver wished he knew what she was thinking. But unlike the girl he’d fallen so hard for ten years ago, this Felicity was closed off and guarded. He supposed some of that was due to him. 

What the hell did he say? “How are you? What have you been up to?” He went with generic. It was safe. 

“I-I’m fine. Uh, I went to work at Kord Industries after college. And now I’m here.” 

That was frustratingly vague. “In Starling.”

Felicity bit into her lower lip as she bobbed her head once. “Yeah. I’m as surprised as you are. Never thought I’d be back here.”

Translation: she never wanted to be back here. Oliver swallowed thickly. “It’s nice to see you again.” 

Her lashes fluttered a little. “Uh, you too.” He knew she didn’t mean it and he could have kicked himself. “How’s your family?” 

Oliver remembered how much she’d adored his little sister… and Thea had adored her right back. He smiled. “My parents are fine. Thea is finishing up her last year of high school.”

Felicity relaxed a little, hearing mention of his sister. “High school? Really? I can’t imagine it.”

He chuckled. “Me either.”

They watched each other for a long moment, the silence hanging between them until the tension grew thick and he was about to say something about how much he missed her, about how he had always wanted to explain himself to her. But Felicity seemed to sense the shift and she straightened in her chair and he could see her walls go right back up. 

But he had to try. 

“I owe you—“

She held up a hand and made an awkward little smile. “Ah… no. No. You don’t owe me anything other than whatever dealing there is between our respective companies. In fact, let’s keep it at that, okay? I’m willing to… look past our shared history in order to be professional adults.”

“But.. I’ve always wanted to talk about what happened. Clear the air.” 

“Consider the air cleared.”

“Felicity…”

“Oliver, please?” She met his eyes, and he was surprised to find that her gaze was desperate. Pleading. “Can we just not talk about it? I just… this project is very important to me and if we get into all of that, I just don’t know if I’ll be able to work with you.” 

Oliver’s heart sank. He never could resist her. Something in him was predisposed to always give her what she wanted, even if it meant having her slip through his fingers. “Okay, Felicity. Whatever you want, I’ll do. You know that.” 

For a half a second, it looked like she might break but then she seemed to shake herself, her spine straightened, and she nodded curtly. “The sooner we get through this project, the sooner the battery is finished and the tablet is on the market, the sooner we can go back to being what worked for us for the last ten years.”

“What’s that?” Oliver asked her hoarsely. 

“Strangers, Oliver.” Her expression could almost be called apologetic. “We’ve been strangers.”

Felicity Smoak could never be a stranger to him. She was the first person, next to his sister, that he was ever truly himself with. The only person since, too. 

He had hurt her, badly. Oliver understood that. But she never gave him the chance to try to make up for it either. That’s all he wanted. Well, maybe not all he wanted. But Oliver had been in the business world long enough now to know when to push and when to pull back. This was a pull back moment but later? Later, he would push. 

“Okay, Felicity. We’ll do it your way.” 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity must work together. Can Felicity get past her hurt over what happened ten years ago or will tensions doom the tenuous business arrangement?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reaction to the last chapter was AMAZING! Thank you to everyone who commented or retweeted and let me know what they thought. I had no idea everyone would love the ten year time jump so much but I'm so happy you do! 
> 
> And a huge thanks again to @lexiblackbriar for the banners she made me, one of which is pictured here. She's a doll!

Of all the rotten luck. Felicity could not believe Oliver Queen had just walked into her office. While she knew she’d be running into him eventually - they were swimming in the same small pond now after all - she’d expected she’d have more time to prepare for it. To be ready. It was vital she kept her walls closed around that man. And the way it’d happened, her walls hadn’t had a chance to go up before he’d been standing right before her, looking amazing.

She’d always thought he was the most attractive person she’d ever met. Ten years ago, he’d looked like a dream to her. His slightly wavy golden brown hair, flopping over his forehead in a roguish sort of fashion and his boyish grin to go with it had made her knees knock at sixteen years old. But now?

Now he seemed even taller, somehow, more filled out. His shoulders had practically swallowed the entire width of her office door. Even wearing that suit, she could see he was well built and didn’t have even a hint of flab on his body. His hair was different, shorter but with a bit of a rakish mop on top, begging for fingers to run through it and mess it up even more. His jaw was darkened with scruff, turning his face from boyish into pure 100% grown man. His grin was now a smoldering smirk. Her knees weren’t knocking anymore. No, this time, her panties were growing damp.

Damn him. Damn him for looking so good. Some perverse part of Felicity had hoped that the ten years since their regrettable fling had turned him into something small and soft and unattractive. She’d hoped that losing her might have broken him, turned him away from the world and away from anything good. It was a mean part of her, she knew that. That mean part was a persona Felicity thought she’d left behind at MIT after she met Ray.

She’d gone through a rather dark phase when she first attended MIT. Her hair had been dyed jet black and she wore dark, smudged makeup all the time. She dressed in combat boots, ripped jeans and tank tops with baggy hoodies daily. Her entire vibe had been “fuck off and leave me alone” and that was the way she wanted it. In her estimation, people sucked and you couldn’t trust anyone.

It wasn’t until her third year when she met Ray that the fog had started to lift. While they hadn’t exactly worked out as a couple, they had become great friends and he’d helped her see there was good in people and there was value in being approachable. Combined with the logic that she would never be able to launch a successful company while looking and acting like she wanted to murder any possible investors, Felicity had finally shed her goth persona. Back in blonde hair and brighter colored clothes, she’d felt more like herself again. She felt like she’d won something back.

Now, the reason for her tailspin was back in her life and Felicity had no earthly idea how she was going to work with him and not lose her mind. Or strangle him to death.

They had to present their plans for the tablet battery to the Queen Consolidated board that Friday afternoon, which meant they needed to meet before then to go over what they were going to say. This gave Felicity a few days to prepare mentally for interacting with Oliver again and also to prepare what she was going to say. Her department was already working on the battery, with her careful supervision, and the hiring of new lab staff was happening. On paper, everything was going great. In her mind, however, it was a whole other story.

Oliver agreed to meet with her on Thursday at lunch. He asked her to his office and, in the moment, Felicity was unable to conjure a single argument of why they shouldn’t meet there and why neutral ground would be preferable. Fuck a duck.

Felicity walked to QC, her jacket drawn tightly around her to ward off the chill that had entered the air as autumn blew through Starling with gusto. She was nervous. She wondered if Oliver was with anyone, if he’d settled down, if he was married or engaged. Had Laurel finally tamed him? Was he still cheating on her? Suddenly, Felicity wished she hadn’t put off relationships for the last several years and that she was engaged or married. Perhaps that extra defense against that man’s insufferable charms would help her feel steadier about dealing with him in a professional capacity.

Or maybe not. Oliver Queen had always been her biggest weakness.

No more, she vowed to herself as she pushed through the doors and into QC’s elegant lobby. Perhaps this was for the best. Maybe this would be how she finally got over this man, once and for all. If she could keep herself aloof and apart from him, then maybe he would no longer have any sort of control over her whatsoever.

God, she hoped so.

Felicity was directed to the executive elevator and which floor to ride it to. She was a bit surprised Oliver wasn’t the CEO of QC yet but she supposed it made more sense that he would rise through the ranks, learn the ropes and get to know the different departments and their employees before taking over. It was a smart move.

She found the correct department and Oliver’s office easily enough. The executive assistant sitting at the desk outside greeted her warmly and told her that Mr. Queen was waiting for her inside and to go on in. Felicity smoothed her hands on her skirt, hoping they weren’t clammy with sweat, and walked in without so much as a knock.

Oliver sat at his desk, going over some papers. There was a crinkle between his brows as he studied them and Felicity was a bit thrown to see him so sedate and serious. She remembered him as being a lot less studious, even when she’d tutored him in math. He looked up when she closed the door behind her and smiled, though the smile did not reach his eyes.

“Ah, Felicity. Right on time.” He stood up from his desk, straightening his suit jacket before rounding his desk and gesturing at the small seating area off to the side near the wall of windows. “Lunch should be on it’s way. Mrs. Appleton will bring it in when it arrives.”

He looked so capable and confident and a part of her wanted to feel proud of him doing so well in this role he’d be so apprehensive about filling. Instead, she schooled her features as best she could and walked to the seating area and set her bag down before taking her seat, smoothing her skirt as she sat.

His office wasn’t as large as her new one was but it was still striking and impressive. Every inch spoke of power and money and elegance, from the dark wood of his desk to the polished marble of the floor to the glittering light fixtures. Felicity hated to admit it but she found herself a little dazzled.

“What did you order?” she asked, purely for the sake of small talk.

“Some salad and sandwiches from that new deli just down the street. I’ve heard it’s very good,” he told her as he took the seat next to her. “Have you tried it yet?”

“No, I haven’t had much of a chance to try anything yet. I’ve barely been here a week.”

“Ahh, that’s right.”

“Shall we get started while we wait?” she asked, hoping to avoid more awkward conversation.

“Uhh, sure.”

Felicity pulled the folder with all the information about the battery and the tablet inside and set it out on the table before them. She launched into her spiel, outlining what she hoped to tell the board about. Oliver listened attentively but she kept catching him sneaking furtive looks in her direction. It made her neck heat and her hands feel extra awkward as she shuffled papers around.

Oliver made some suggestions as well as offering some corrections to the facts she had on hand about the tablet. She’d asked him to remain professional in their dealings and he was sticking to his end of the deal really well. Those stolen glances aside, that is.

Mrs. Appleton interrupted with their lunch a short while later and Oliver thanked her profusely and asked her to hold his calls until they were finished. There was soup in with the salad and sandwiches and Felicity was still fighting the chill from her walk over to QC earlier so she helped herself to a cup of it, humming happily when she saw it was chicken noodle. One of her favorites.

Oliver was talking about what he felt they should emphasize about the boost the Palmer Tech battery would add to the tablet and Felicity was doing her best to listen, but she was completely distracted by the man doing the talking. He’d taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, leaving his forearms exposed. He gestured emphatically, clearly passionate about the tablet and it’s capabilities and Felicity couldn’t tear her eyes from the muscles in those forearms, the tanned skin, the dusting of hair, the glittering silvery watch on his wrist. Lord, his hands were big…

“Felicity?” he questioned and she was so startled from her musings that she jerked, spilling her soup. Spilling it all over his lap.

“OH! Oh, god. I’m so sorry!” she cried, jumping up. She ran to the minibar and grabbed some towels that were stacked neatly on the counter there before racing back to him. She began patting down his legs while babbling. “I don’t know why I did that. I wasn’t thinking. I’m so sorry, Oliver. Was the soup hot? You aren’t burned, are you? Do you have a first aid kit here?”

“Felicity.” Oliver grabbed her wrist, stilling her hand. That’s when she realized she was repeatedly dabbing at his crotch and she yanked her hand back as though it was on fire.

“Frak,” she breathed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I promise.” He stood up. “Just give me a minute to change my slacks. I’ll be right back.”

Felicity knew her cheeks were burning as she mopped up the rest of the mess left by the soup while Oliver excused himself to his private washroom to change. Lucky he had a spare pair of slacks handy and she reminded herself she should so something similar in her office. She’d like to be able to say that spilling food on herself was unusual but it wasn’t.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she muttered as she wiped at the droplets left on the sofa. “Letting yourself get distracted, making a fool of yourself… you know better than this, Felicity.”

Felicity was still muttering to herself when Oliver emerged, dry and perfect as ever. He smiled at her, an expression meant to be gentle and set her at ease but she found her cheeks heating up all over again. How did he keep doing this to her??

“Can we just forget that happened?” she asked as he sat down again.

“What happened?” he asked with a wink and she found herself relaxing a little.

“Thanks.”

“Now, where were we?” He lifted a sheaf of papers and she followed suit, grateful to him for covering her gaffe. She wasn’t sure she would have been nearly as graceful had the tables been turned.

***

Felicity waved at the front desk guard as she walked briskly to the executive elevator for the second day in a row. This time, she was dressed in her best suit, purchased after she got this job at Palmer Tech and that cost more than her rent in Metropolis. It was a cream wool suit, lightweight enough so she wasn’t sweating in it but warm enough to protect her from the dropping temperatures. The blouse was red, bold and vibrant against the warm cream of the suit and her lipstick matched it perfectly. Her heels also were red, setting off the whole look. She’d pulled her hair back into a sleek chignon and she knew she looked damn good. She looked competent and serious. All the more to make a good impression on QC’s board with.

They were presenting the battery plan to the board and thanks to her meeting with Oliver the previous day, she felt they were ready to wow the stodgy lot. Felicity hadn’t met them all yet, but she was sure they were stodgy. Boards always were, from what she knew of them. Before she’d left his office the day before, Felicity had told Oliver she’d meet him there before the meeting so they could walk in together, presenting a united, professional front. He’d agreed.

The meeting was in ten minutes so she had just enough time to meet him up there and then head to the boardroom. The nerves she’d felt the day before were gone and that had everything to do with how Oliver had acted during their meeting yesterday. With a small bubble of excitement, Felicity realized that maybe she was ready to hear him out, after this was all said and done with the board meeting, of course. She could see that he was grown and if talking things out would help smooth things out between them, that was good. It would help them in the weeks ahead as they rushed to get this project going.

Felicity held zero hope for any sort of a romantic relationship between them, of course. For starters, she had no idea his current relationship status. Just as she hadn’t really known it ten years ago. But it was entirely likely he didn’t even want to pursue something like that with her. It was very possible all he wanted to do was clear things up with them. And then maybe, maybe, they could be friends. That was something, right?

With those hopeful thoughts flying around her head, Felicity headed to Oliver’s office. His assistant wasn’t there, but his door was open slightly and, checking her watch, Felicity saw it was the time they’d agreed upon to meet up so she let herself into his office.

Oliver was sitting in his chair just like the day before but this time, a cute blonde woman was perched on the corner of his desk, leaning towards him with a positively feline grin on her face. The vibe between the two was absolutely intimate and immediately Felicity felt as though she’d walked in on something.

“Oh! Uh, I’m sorry,” she said and both heads swiveled to look her way. Oliver looked wide eyed and the blonde looked… almost calculating as she considered Felicity’s appearance from head to toe. There was something in the way she looked at her that had Felicity’s indignation ratcheting up. “Oliver? I thought we were meeting to walk down to the boardroom together?”

Felicity didn’t bother to keep the irritation out of her voice and Oliver was quick to spring out of his chair and away from the blonde woman.

“Uh… yes, we did. Uh…” He floundered around his desk, looking for the papers she’d left with him that he was to bring with him to the meeting.

Felicity rolled her eyes. Something about his flustered reaction only made her more annoyed. And to think she was beginning to think he’d changed! That they could clear the air and become friends! God, what a fool she still was, even after all these years.

“You know what?” she said, tone clipped. “Never mind. I’ll meet you there. Floor 30, right?”

Felicity turned on her heel and strode out of Oliver’s office as quickly as she could, headed straight for the elevators. Her ears were burning with humiliation all over again. Why on earth did she let this man keep doing this to her!

***

Oliver found himself looking forward to 3 o’clock… when Felicity would be coming over to QC to present to the board with him. He thought their meeting together over lunch the day before had gone well, very well, considering how things had been left between them the other day when he’d dropped by her office. She seemed to warm to him a little. Plus, her spilling her soup on him and awkwardly patting at his lap with the towel had been downright adorable. He’d finally gotten a solid glimpse of the girl he knew and had fallen in love with ten years ago.

It turned out, her being off her game worked at peeling back her layers a bit so she was able to relax around him. She’d even smiled at him before she left to return to her office. He had high hopes for today and this board presentation. Yes, it was just business but in his mind, that was just the start. He was determined to make a good impression on her and gain back her trust again. Then, once he did… who knew? But he had hopes.

There was a knock on his door. “Come in!” he called out, checking his watch. It was 2:45, a little earlier than he’d expected Felicity to stop by but early just meant more time spent together which wasn’t a bad thing in his book.

The door opened and Sara Lance stuck her head in. “You busy? Your assistant isn’t at her desk.”

Oliver couldn’t help deflating a little bit. “Hey Sara. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. What’s up?”

She sidled into the room. “Look who’s home for the weekend! We’re going for drinks tonight, right?” she asked.

Shit, he’d almost forgotten. So much had happened since her phone call the other day.“Uh… yes. Drinks. I’m definitely still on for that.”

Sara fixed him with a curious look as she crossed the room to his desk. She looked as breezy and casual and beautiful as ever. Sara was the embodiment of a wanderlust lifestyle. She dressed however her whim struck her, either cargo pants or sundresses. Today, it was wildly patterned leggings and a flowing tunic over the top. Her long blonde hair was plaited into two braids on either side of her head and she had a jaunty olive green beret on her head. If anyone ever looked absolutely out of place in a corporate office, it was Sara Lance.

“You are still distracted? This has to be a new romance. Do tell, Ollie, I need details!” She sat on the edge of his desk and immediately started playing with his nameplate.

“I do not have a new romance,” he corrected her, swiping the nameplate out of her hands and setting it back on his desk.

“You have some reason why you don’t want to hook up while I’m home,” she pointed out. “Spill.”

“Sara… now’s not a good time…”

“Anytime is a good time to discuss you finally getting over Felicity Smoak,” she pointed out. “You’ve been pining after her since high school.”

He must have made a strange face because Sara’s lit up. “Wait. Is it Felicity??”

“Sara…”

“Do I finally get to meet the legend herself in the flesh? The woman responsible for turning irresponsible party boy Oliver Queen into a model student, son, and future CEO?” Sara looked positively delighted at the prospect and Oliver could feel himself turning a bit green at the thought of these two women crossing paths.

“Listen. It’s not like you think. She’s back in town and we have to work together and she’ll be here any minute…”

“For real?? Holy shit, Ollie. I was joking but it really is Felicity herself?? Oh my god, this is too good…”

“Please, can we talk later? I’ll meet you for drinks tonight. 7 o’clock. I’ll pay. Just, please…”

“Oh you bet you will pay,” she said silkily, leaning forward to pat him on the cheek. “And you’re going to fill me in on everything.”

“Oh! Uh, I’m sorry…Oliver?”

Everything inside of him cringed. There, standing in the doorway and looking more than a little flummoxed was the woman in question herself. Sara leaned back, her eyes eating up the view of Felicity Smoak as she stood there in a stunning cream colored wool suit. He could almost hear what she was thinking and it stirred something possessive inside of him.

“I thought we were meeting to walk down to the boardroom together?”

Oh shit, right. He still hadn’t said anything, just stared at her with his mouth hanging open like a fish caught out of water. She sounded annoyed. He winced again.

“Uh… yes, we did. Uh…” He stood up and started searching through his normally meticulous desktop for the papers he needed to take to the meeting with him. Shit, Sara was sitting on them.

Meanwhile, Felicity’s eyes narrowed and the temperature in the room felt like it dropped about twenty degrees. Sara scooted off the desk and he knew the next thing to happen would be Sara introducing herself to Felicity and he could just not have that. Not right now. Not when Felicity was rolling her eyes at him like that.

“You know what? Never mind. I’ll meet you there. Floor 30, right?”

Before Oliver could do more than open his mouth to reply, she had turned on her heel and rushed out of his office.

“Fuck,” he gasped, grabbing at the papers. Sara watched him, wide-eyed.

“Shit, what the heck was that?” she asked. “She’s cute, Ollie.”

“Sara,” he growled. “Don’t you even think of trying to swoop in on her.”

Sara batted her eyelashes at him. “Would I do that?”

“Yes,” he replied without hesitation. “Do you remember Sylvia in college? You literally stole her from me at that party we went to.”

She shrugged. “Like you were even that interested in her. The poor girl was bored. Which brings me back to my original point: Felicity. You’ve barely been able to look at any girl seriously in ten years and now she’s here. So are you going to try to get back together with her? Or are you going to finally get some closure and move on?”

Oliver sighed. “I don’t know, Sara. And right now, I have a meeting to get to. I’ll see you tonight.”

He rushed out of his office, hoping to catch up with Felicity in the elevator but he didn’t manage it. She was waiting outside the board room when he got there. After a quick glare sent his way, she cast her eyes away.

“Felicity… That wasn’t what you were thinking.”

“You don’t need to explain your relationships to me, Oliver, I could not care less.”

“But it’s not— We’re not— She’s my friend, Sara Lance.”

“Lance? Like Laurel Lance, your girlfriend in high school?”

He felt unsure and didn’t like where he could see this was headed. “She’s Laurel’s sister.”

Felicity’s eyes widened as she gaped at him. “Her sister? Wow… you haven’t changed at all, have you?”

Something about that made him feel defensive. Oliver felt he’d changed a lot since then. “That’s not fair.”

“Oh, I think it’s more than fair.”

Before their argument could continue a board member stepped out into the hallway to invite them in. Oliver let Felicity lead the way and prayed that they were both able to pull off this presentation without looking like they’d rather murder each other instead of cooperate on a new battery for the QTablet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. Back to the drawing board. 😉


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Oliver continue to struggle with dealing with one another and turn to others to help them navigate these tricky emotional waters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, big thanks to @lexiblackbriar for the pretty fic art and to @andachippedcup for the beta services.

Sara was sitting at a table when Oliver arrived at their favorite bar shortly after 7 o’clock. It’d taken him longer to get changed out of his suit, grab a bite to eat, and Uber over to the rundown establishment that had been their favorite since their college days than he’d expected it to. Luckily, she didn’t look too bothered at his lateness; she was chatting up the waitress who’d brought her drink.

“Olliei! You made it! Ollie, this is Regina. Regina, this is Ollie,” Sara introduced, her smile wide and cheerful. The waitress looked at him a little uncertainly before turning her gaze back to Oliver. He had to smirk as he took a seat across from Sara at the small table.

“I’ll have a whiskey, neat,” he told Regina who nodded at him and then turned her attention back to Sara.

“I get off at 11. If you’re interested.”

“I might be,” Sara said, giving Regina a roguish wink. The waitress bustled off and Oliver chuckled.

“On the prowl?”

Sara shrugged. “If you’re not gonna scratch my itch tonight, I gotta find someone else who will,” she pointed out. “Still not interested?”

“No, sorry.”

“So. Tell me what happened today. That was Felicity, obviously. But I need details.”

Oliver told Sara about the project with Palmer Tech and how Felicity and her team were developing this revolutionary battery that would run on a single charge far longer than any other on the market today. She nodded along while he skimmed over the tech details and explained how he was supposed to work with Felicity on marketing and development, so the two companies could benefit as best as possible from this joint project.

“So the other day when I called you… You knew about Felicity being in town?”

He shook his head. “No, not yet. I was actually on my way to Palmer Tech when I talked to you and I didn’t learn about working with Felicity until I stepped into her office.”

Sara blew out a laugh. “That had to be a shock.”

“It was. For both of us, I think. I asked for a chance to talk to her about things, to try to clear things up between us.”

“Let me guess. She told you to keep it and that she wanted to focus on business instead of your personal lives.”

“Got it in one.”

“Well, if it helps any, I think she’s cute as hell.”

“That doesn’t help at all but thank you.”

“Laurel is going to be so mad when she learns Felicity is in town.” Sara chortled at the thought.

“I haven’t given Laurel the time of day in years,” Oliver reminded her.

“I know, but she still thinks she has a shot. Taking the hint has never been her strong suit. Her biggest competition being back is going to make her lose it.”

“Her only competition, you mean.”

“So, does that mean you still have feelings for her? After all this time?”

“I should think you know the answer to that by now, Sara,” he murmured.

Regina returned then with his whiskey and another vodka soda for Sara. She slipped his friend her number with a shy but flirtatious smile. Sara smiled at her and tucked the number into her bra, making Oliver snort.

“Okay, well… you have your work cut out for you, Ollie. The way she looked at you this afternoon…” She blew out a breath. “I wouldn’t wanna be you. You sure you don’t need to… let off some steam? I’m sure I could talk Regina into letting you join us for some fun.”

Oliver was sure she could too. And, god, years ago such a scenario would have been one of his wildest dreams. But now… he just didn’t have the stomach for it. “I’ll pass,” he said, taking a healthy swig of his drink.

***

Felicity was in a mood the whole rest of the day. Right when she’d been thinking about giving Oliver more of a chance, that maybe she’d been too hard on him… she found a woman in his office! It wasn’t like she was an employee or anything. She was Laurel’s sister and Felicity didn’t need to wonder if there was something between them. They were familiar with one another and she had a good feeling it wasn’t just as friends.

She was getting ready for bed, brushing her teeth, trying to dispel the day from her mind. Spitting out the toothpaste, she rolled her eyes at herself in the mirror. Why did she even care? The thoughts racing through her mind sounded, even to herself, jealous. And she absolutely was not jealous. No…. That woman could have him, far as Felicity was concerned.

No, she was mostly upset that apparently she’d been right about not wanting to have anything to do with Oliver Queen again. Honestly, if this job wasn’t so important to her and if she didn’t adore Ray as much as she did, Felicity might have begged off the project.

Quickly, she washed her face and brushed out her hair. Then, turning the light in her bathroom off, Felicity padded out into her bedroom and over to her bed. The apartment was amazing, but it still lacked her personal touch. She needed to have some time to really decorate it to her tastes and get all these boxes finally unpacked. But that was a job for another night. Tonight, she was beat. Exhausted both mentally and physically.

She’d no sooner settled into bed when her cell phone rang and Felicity noticed it was her old friend Charlene Roberts, calling from Metropolis. She answered it. “Hello?”

“Felicity! Hey girl, how’s it going in rainy Starling City?”

Charlene’s friendly and familiar voice soothed something in Felicity as she lay back against her pillows, phone to her ear.

“It’s going okay, how’s it going in Metropolis? What time is there? It’s got to be after midnight!”

“It’s 12:30. You know I’m a night owl. Don’t tell me you’re in bed already at 9:30!”

“You know me,” she shot back, grinning. “Have you learned how to survive without me yet?”

Felicity had met Charlene at MIT. They were assigned roommates her sophomore year, while she was still dating Cooper, and they’d become quick friends. The next year, they’d moved into an apartment off campus and after graduation, they’d both gotten jobs in Metropolis and moved there together, splitting rent on a sweet two story walkup in the gaslight district. It hadn’t been much, but it’d been cozy and theirs and Felicity missed it. She also missed her best friend.

“Absolutely not,” Charlene declared. “The new roommate is working out well enough but it’s just not the same without you here. I may have to get a job in Starling and fly out there and steal your pull out sofa.”

“Oh god, I wish you would. I miss you terribly, Char.”

“So tell me all the hot goss. Have you run into him yet? He who shall not be named?”

Charlene was one of the few people who knew the whole story of what happened between her and Oliver. The only other person in Felicity’s life who knew was her mother. But Charlene had been a sympathetic sounding board back at MIT and she still was, to this day. She knew all about how Felicity had dreaded coming to Starling and possibly seeing him again.

“I’ve been meaning to call you, actually. You’ll never guess… I got assigned to a project, working with Queen Consolidated on their new tablet and he is the one I have to work with.”

“Nooooo,” Charlene gasped. “Ray doesn’t know about your history with him??”

“Nope. You know I never really told anyone.”

“Oh god, girl. How are you managing? What was it like seeing him again? What did he say? Does he look good? Did you throw coffee in his face? Ohh! I need all the details!”

Felicity laughed. She missed having this. “He looks really good,” Felicity admitted. “Too good, in fact. And he wanted to talk to me, I think to clear the air? I told him I’m only interested in business and to leave it.”

Charlene let out a low whistle. “Damn you’re a hard one. I’ve seen his picture, remember. I’d have totally given in.”

“He looks even better than he used to.”

“How can you resist him then??”

“Uhm, Char, you do remember what he did? Cheated on his girlfriend with me? Never told me he was with someone else?”

“Alright, valid point. But you know me, I’m always helpless to a pretty face.”

Felicity chuckled. That was true. While Felicity had been rather reluctant to date, choosing to focus more on school and then later, on work, Charlene had many boyfriends, but often never for more than a month or two at a time. That girl was in love with love.

“He might look good but I’m afraid he’s still the same cad he was back then. I was just starting to soften towards him when I found him in his office with some other woman today. They looked pretty cozy and he knew I was on my way over to meet him before we had to present our plans to the board.”

“That doesn’t sound too good…”

“No, it wasn’t. It was made worse when I learned she is the sister of the girl he used me to cheat on too.”

“Yeesh. Okay, yeah, Oliver Queen is cancelled.”

“Thank you,” Felicity said with a little laugh. Somehow, talking things out with Char always boosted her spirits.

They continued to talk for another half hour, discussing their lives and jobs and families and Felicity wished, not for the first time, that she had her best friend here in Starling. Then maybe she wouldn’t be so lonely.

***

The board meeting ended up going well, despite the noticeable tension between himself and Felicity. Their plans were approved and they were granted funds to get the project off the ground. Since he and Felicity were dealing more with the business side of the deal, the business of integration was down to their respective research and development departments. That didn’t mean their work was done, however and they still had to meet frequently to go over details and plan for the launch and marketing.

They switched off whose office they worked from and today had been Oliver’s turn to host Felicity as they hammered out more details. It was a little over a week since the board meeting and development was coming right along. The meeting went as well as could be expected but ever since that horrific day when she found Sara in his office, Felicity had only just barely tolerated him. Their interactions were purely business oriented and any time he tried to lighten things up or even make her smile, she shut him down. Oliver was growing frustrated.

“How about we go over this tomorrow at my office,” Felicity said as she stood from the sofa in his office, gathering her things into her tote bag.

“That sounds good. I can bring lunch if you like? Sammie’s down the street has an amazing pastrami that you must try,” he suggested.

There was a knock at his office door and then it opened a few inches, a dark head poking in. It was Tommy Merlyn, still his best friend though Oliver often wondered how he hadn’t killed him after he was the one who told Laurel about Felicity ten years ago. “Hey buddy, just wondered if you had a few minutes.”

“Sure, Tommy, just finishing up here.”

“Sammie’s sounds alright,” Felicity told him. “See you tomorrow.” She nodded at Tommy as she passed him in the doorway before heading out of his office, walking briskly towards the elevators.

Tommy let out a low whistle as he watched her go, her rear end swinging temptingly in that pencil skirt she was wearing. Oliver glared at the back of his friend’s head, his protective and possessive instincts rearing up.

“Wow, who was that? She’s a bombshell, Oliver. Please tell me you’re tapping that.”

Oliver shut his door before anyone could overhear Tommy’s lewd remarks. “No, I’m not. And please don’t talk about her that way.”

“Why not? You know, I miss the days when we used to swap stories. Ever since that girl in high school, you’ve been tight lipped and it’s a real drag. What was her name? Francine? Fiona?”

“Felicity,” Oliver gritted out.

“Felicity! That’s it! She’s the one who ruined all the fun. Ruined you, to be honest. Nice girl, I’m sure, but damn. I lost my wingman when that all went down with her. And it was all for nothing as she dumped your ass in rather spectacular public fashion, as I was told.”

Oliver could do without the reminder. “If anyone ruined anything, it was you.”

“Me?” Tommy affected mock innocence. “All I did was pass relevant info onto Laurel, who was a dear friend of mine.”

“Because you wanted Laurel and I to break up so you could get in her pants,” Oliver pointed out.

Tommy walked past him to plop down onto the sofa. “Details, details. It’s in the past.”

Oliver snorted as he joined his friend on the sofa. “Of course you would say that.” It was in the past because Tommy had gotten in Laurel’s pants during college, after Oliver wouldn’t get back together with him. If you asked him, he thought Laurel had hooked up with Tommy in a bid to make Oliver jealous and want to get back together but it hadn’t worked at all. Oliver had been glad to get her attention off of him and Tommy had lost interest in her after finally ensnaring his “white whale”, as he called her.

“How is Laurel these days? I trust she still keeps in touch with you.”

He groaned and passed a hand over his eyes. “Not by any choice of mine,” Oliver grumbled. “I think she still hopes we’ll get back together.”

Tommy made a face. “Sorry, dude. That one is a clinger. You should hook up with the hottie in the skirt who just left here. That might set her straight.”

“That’s as unlikely as me getting back with Laurel.”

“Why? She’s smoking hot, Ollie. I really dig that whole librarian vibe she has going. I bet she’s a total minx in bed.”

Oliver wanted to smack his friend. “Because. That was Felicity.”

Tommy’s mouth fell open. “Wait, the same Felicity? The one from ten years ago we were just talking about?”

“Yes. She moved to Starling and works at Palmer Tech now. We’re working together on the new QTablet.”

“Holy shit, Ollie! I did not recognize her at all! You were totally gone for that girl! Why don’t you try to start things back up with her?”

“She hates me. Because of what you did ten years ago,” Oliver told his friend, glaring at him.

“I didn’t tell you to cheat on Laurel. Or to not tell Felicity about her,” Tommy pointed out.

“Well, she hates me nonetheless. Won’t have anything to do with me beyond this business deal.”

“Come on, Ollie, you’re a charming guy. I know you could get her warmed up if you tried.”

“I don’t want to push her too hard… She’s made her feelings very clear.”

Tommy fixed him with a look and shook his head. “Well, if you don’t go for it with her, do you mind if I have a try? A rear end like that should not go to waste.”

Oliver felt his blood boil almost instantly. The thought of Tommy with Felicity had his fists clenching unconsciously. “Don’t you even dare,” he growled.

Tommy just laughed, holding up his hands. “Then I suggest you do something yourself. Because if it’s not me, it’ll be someone else. Trust me, she won’t be alone for long in this town.”

Fuck. Oliver hated that Tommy was most likely right. It would only be a matter of time before Felicity found a guy who wasn’t a total asshole and who hadn’t broken her heart and then Oliver would be completely and totally screwed.

***

Felicity pushed into the coffee shop just down the street from the Palmer Tech building, determined to get her hands on a pumpkin spice latte. The weather was decidedly fall-ish so she figured it was safe. Plus, she was starting to drag a bit and an injection of sugar and caffeine would surely perk her up.

There were only a few other people besides the baristas in the shop; one was ordering at the counter, and the other two were sitting at tables. Felicity didn’t pay either of them much attention she waited for her turn to order.

After a few minutes of waiting (and scrolling through her emails on her phone), her order was called. “One medium pumpkin spice latte for Felicity!” called the barista.

“Felicity?” One of the other patrons in the shop, a blonde sitting over by the window, looked up when her name was called.

“Yeah? I mean, that’s me.” Felicity accepted her drink and thanked the barista before turning back to the other woman who was hurrying towards her, her own coffee drink in hand. “Who are you?”

“I’m Sara! Oliver’s friend, Sara!”

Felicity blinked. The woman in front of her wore a colorfully patterned dress with a furry vest over the top of it and furry boots on her feet. She exuded energy and her smile was bright and friendly. She looked nice, to be honest and as much as Felicity wanted to dismiss her, especially knowing she was Laurel’s sister, she couldn’t help but smile back at her.

“Hi, Sara, I’m Felicity.” She held out her hand and Sara shook it warmly.

“It’s so great to meet you. Ollie would have kept you under lock and key, I think, but when I saw you a couple weeks ago, I knew I had to meet you. Can we sit down? Do you have a few minutes?”

Felicity checked her watch. She didn’t have anything going on until later in the afternoon, so she should be fine. “Sure, I’ve got some time.”

Sara led them over to the table she’d been sitting at and Felicity took the seat across from her. Sara took a long drink from her cup and then set it aside. “Listen, I know you and Ollie have some history…”

“Involving your sister,” Felicity pointed out.

Sara rolled her eyes and grinned. “Oh yes. Trust me, I heard all about it.”

“And you don’t hate me?” she asked, a little surprised.

“Oh, heck no. Listen, Ollie explained it all to me. I know he didn’t tell you about Laurel, you didn’t know, so that’s not your fault. That’s his bad.”

“Darn right,” Felicity muttered, sipping her latte.

Sara laughed. “But besides that, between you and me, my sister is a bit of a mess. While I don’t believe anyone ever deserves to be cheated on, the way Laurel handled it with Ollie back then was… not great.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well. You weren’t the first he cheated on her with.”

“Yeah, I recall Laurel mentioning something about that.” Bitterness at the memory rose up and Felicity took another drink of her latte to wash it down.

“But she knew, the whole time. And she didn’t care. Laurel was happy to look the other way. Oliver’s fidelity wasn’t important to her, what was important was getting her hooks in him so she could someday become Mrs. Queen.” Sara punctuated her statement with a raise of her eyebrows.

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not true,” Felicity said. Laurel wouldn’t lower herself that far, would she?She had to have more dignity than that. But then Felicity remembered how Laurel had reacted that awful day and she wondered.

“It is, Felicity. I had to listen to her going on and on about her ‘plan’ with Oliver and how she would marry him someday and live in that mansion.” Sara shuddered. “I love my sister, but the girl was never right in the head when it came to Ollie.”

“Well, to be fair, Oliver can have that effect. Look how I got sucked in with him.”

“He is charming. But what Laurel had… I don’t know how much emotion was in her motivations with him. That’s all. The point is, I don’t hate you. But I did want to get to know you.”

“Oh.” Felicity was more than a little surprised but always happy to make a new friend. And she was getting the feeling she’d misjudged Sara earlier. “That’d be nice.”

They each talked about themselves for a little bit. In addition to telling her some things about herself, Felicity learned that Sara was a bit of a nomad, wandering from place to place, meeting new people, having new adventures. Being tied down wasn’t something Sara ever saw for herself so she embraced her love of traveling and experiencing life instead. Felicity found it all very fascinating.

“So how are you friends with Oliver? Is it through Laurel?”

Sara squinted. “Sort of. I mean, I saw him first. That sounds pretty childish, right? I knew him first. But once I expressed an interest, Laurel decided she liked him too. She actually got me grounded after I went to this party he was going to be at and while I was stuck at home, she sank her claws into him and that was that.”

“Wow,” Felicity said. It seemed there was a bit of bad blood between the sisters. “So you liked Oliver and she knew and got to him first?”

“Basically. Which, was fine, I guess. I wasn’t interested in a relationship, exactly. I just wanted to kiss him. And stuff.”

Felicity blushed, knowing exactly what stuff that was. Sara noticed and burst out laughing.

“He had a bit of a reputation then, and I know you know what I mean when I say, the rumors were very true.”

“So you did sleep with him? Eventually?”

Sara shrugged carelessly. “Yeah. Not in high school, he was too busy with other girls and then you. But in college, I did. He was so mopey then. Not at all the party boy I remembered from high school.”

“Why was that?”

“Because of you, silly! Oliver never got over you, you know. Anyhow, we stumbled upon each other at a frat party once and hooked up. It wasn’t a regular thing with us, just a sort of casual friends with benefits sort of situation. We had good sex but we were always better as friends than as anything more.”

It was a lot of information to process all at once. “Sounds like the best of both worlds,” she mumbled, her brain trying to wrap around the notion of having sex with Oliver and not falling madly in love with him. She sure hadn’t been able to accomplish it. “How do you know he never got over me?”

“I asked him,” Sara said simply. “He talks to me. And I was curious why he never seemed to be with anyone or why he never got back together with Laurel.”

That made Felicity’s eyebrows shoot up. “They never got back together?”

“Nope.” Sara popped the ‘p’. “As hard as Laurel may have tried, Oliver refused to give her the time of day. I think he always kind of resented her for causing that confrontation with you. He was furious with her after that.”

Felicity wished that hearing that didn’t please her but it did. In the moment, she’d been so mortified and hurt and regretful but after time went by, she realized the way Laurel had behaved was pretty hurtful too. She could still remember that slap and how her cheek had stung for hours.

Sara watched her, taking note of her reaction Felicity was sure. “So how about you?”

“Me? What do you mean?”

“Did you get over him?”

God, that was a loaded question. “If you’re asking if I had relationships since then, the answer is yes.”

“That wasn’t exactly what I was asking.” Sara winked at her. “Are you over Ollie?”

“I’m still mad at him.”

“Still not what I asked.”

“It’s— It’s weird having him back in my life,” Felicity admitted. “I don’t know what to think about him. I’ve spent ten years trying not to think about him, actually. It’s a difficult question to answer.”

Sara nodded. “Fair enough.”

“It’s a moot point anyhow, anything between Oliver and I is firmly in the past,” Felicity said. Sara just hummed into her drink and she had the distinct feeling the other woman wasn’t quite buying her story. But how could she give her an answer when she wasn’t even sure of what it was herself? Felicity had stuffed her feelings for Oliver in a box a very, very long time ago and that had been done very much on purpose. Why on earth would she want to pull them out now, when things were going so well in her life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points and cookies to everyone who said Felicity should talk to Sara. You guys are good! Clearly, past-me agreed with that. 😉


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara spills the tea on Oliver and Felicity gets a chance to reconnect with someone from ten years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, your reactions to this story are giving me LIIIIIIFE. Thank you so much for reading and commenting and letting me know that you like this story. We're getting into the home stretch here! 
> 
> In other writing news, I'm about a halfway/three-quarters the way through a friends with benefits AU right now, titled "sweating our confessions". It's entirely AU, loosely based on the movie "Friends With Benefits", and has more humor than I generally write. It's been a lot of fun and @andachippedcup is a fantastic cheerleader for this story. It exists solely because of her and her needling. 😉 
> 
> After that I'm going to be working on a Smoaking Billionaires story. I've been wanting to write one for literal YEARS. And I think now is the time. It's alternate canon, set in season 2, and I cannot wait to get started. I have some IDEAS, y'all. If SB isn't your cup of tea, however, you might want to skip it, when it comes time to actually post it. 
> 
> Anyhow, on with the chapter!

After a long day of work, Oliver liked to come home, shed his suit, go for a run on his treadmill that overlooked the bay laid out below his high rise condo, and then take a steaming hot shower. After that, he usually liked to fix himself a nice dinner. He was trying to hone his cooking skills and did so by trying out new and interesting dishes. However, tonight he was too tired to fuss with anything so he just heated up some grilled chicken strips and added them to a salad. It wasn’t much but he didn’t have much of an appetite to speak of tonight.

Oliver sat at the long island that ran the length of the kitchen as he ate. His loft was large without any walls, save for the bedroom and bathroom. Tastefully decorated by a service he’d hired, it boasted modern industrial fixtures and features and was pretty much perfect. The only flaw was that it was lonely here, all by himself. The clean, industrial look that had so appealed to him when he moved in now felt cold and spartan. It was a beautiful space to look at but to relax in? To bring someone into his life here, to have children here? It just wasn’t the place for that.

His cell phone rang while he was finishing up his salad so he set that aside as he answered, noticing it was Sara calling. She was back in town? So soon?

“Hey, Sara,” he answered.

“Hey, Ollie. Whatcha up to?”

“Just finishing dinner. Are you back in town?”

“Mmhmm. Dad wanted me around to celebrate Laurel’s new job. The party is tomorrow so I got in this morning.”

New job? He hadn’t heard anything. Then again, he wouldn’t have cared if he had. “Did you want to meet for drinks or lunch or anything while you’re in town?”

“Why, are you finally in the mood to have a little fun after?” Sara asked. He could tell she was teasing him.

Oliver sighed. “Can’t I just want to see you while you’re in town?”

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop objectifying you. Especially since I know you’re pining after Felicity.”

“I know what you’re going to say,” he said as he got up from the island and paced to the large windows on the other side of the loft. The city lights sparkled below, glittering off the water of the bay.

“Oh? And what am I going to say if you’re so smart?” she asked.

“That I need to move on, blah blah. Get out there and date, forget Felicity.”

“Oh heck no,” Sara said. “No, we’re well past that being an option.”

“We are?”

“I ran into Felicity today at the coffee shop.”

“… Oh no.”

“Oh yes. And our conversation was very illuminating.”

“Sara, please tell me you didn’t grill her or overwhelm her? She barely tolerates working with me already and it’s the only time I get with her. I think I can wear her down if I—“

“Ollie. Give me a little credit. I know how to work people.”

She did. Sara had an easy way about her that other people couldn’t help but respond to. She got him to open up to her, after all, and he barely talked about Felicity to anyone else.

“Okay, then what did you two talk about?”

“We got to know one another. And we talked about you, mostly.”

“Me?” Oliver was dying of curiosity and Sara could tell. She chuckled.

“She asked me if I hated her and I explained things to her. Like how you told me what happened. And I told her about Laurel.”

“She wanted to know about Laurel?”

“Well, when she learned I was Laurel’s sister, she was all ready to be outraged. She really thought that what you and I are to each other was yet another way you were being a cad to Laurel. But I set her straight.”

“She listened to what you had to say?”

“Yeah, well, she’s not mad at me. But you… there’s so many hurt feelings there, Ollie.”

His shoulders sagged and he dropped onto his sofa. “I know. I fucked up.”

“You really did. But! I have good news.”

“I can’t imagine how you got good news out of that conversation.”

“Well…” Sara drawled. “I might have let her know that you never really got over her—”

“Sara!”

“—and I sorta pressed her on if she was over you or not.”

His heart dropped into his stomach. “You didn’t.” Oh god, why did this feel like junior highall over again?

“I did.”

“Well, what did she say?”

“I couldn’t get her to admit she still had feelings. But, Ollie… there’s hope. She couldn’t say she didn’t have feelings for you still either. The most she would say is that it was weird having you back in her life.”

“Sara, this doesn’t sound like especially good news. Did she give any indication that there was hope for us to reconcile at all?”

“Actually… no. She said you two were firmly in the past. But! Ollie, you weren’t there. You didn’t see her. When I’d talk about you or how you were so hung up on her, her face would get all soft and her eyes would practically twinkle. I am telling you, there are definitely feelings there, whether she wants to admit it or not.”

Oliver wanted to feel encouraged by this. But it’d been so long and Felicity was still so angry with him… “If she won’t admit it, it’s not going to matter. She has to want to talk with me, to be around me. And she doesn’t.”

“Yet.” Sara added.

“Maybe ever.”

“The door is open, Ollie. Or at least cracked. It’s up to you to get it open the rest of the way and walk through it.”

She made it sound so easy but Oliver knew the truth. Doing that would be incredibly difficult. But if anyone was worth it, it was Felicity. If nothing else, he had to make things up to her.

***

The next few weeks passed without further incident. Felicity got a small reprieve from time spent with Oliver while the lab was busy assembling and testing the battery. Luckily, her specs were accurate so there weren’t very many hiccups in development. And the early tests of battery in the QTablet were going well so far, with battery life exceeding even their wildest hopes. The project was in the home stretch and next week would be the big gala hosted by both companies to celebrate completion. From there, the tablet would go into production overseas and be ready to hit the market early in Q3 next year. Right on schedule.

However, all of this meant Felicity and Oliver both were on a bit of a time crunch and it also meant that Felicity needed to meet with Oliver on a Saturday. He invited her to come out to the mansion, given they’d have room to work and plenty of privacy. Given her new apartment was still sparsely decorated (and lacked a suitable dining table still) and Oliver said his place wasn’t really set up for spreading out either, the mansion made the most sense.

Still, Felicity was filled with nerves as she drove to the mansion. It had been ten years since she’d been there and there were such wonderful memories she associated with that place. It was bittersweet, coming back after things had gone so wrong.

Felicity felt things between her and Oliver were as good as she could hope for. A lot of the initial awkwardness between them had finally faded. She didn’t want to go so far as to say she’d warmed up to him, but a lot of her anger had cooled. It’d been a decade, after all. And since she had the full story of Sara and why she’d been in his office that day, Felicity had to admit that she might have been too harsh in her first reactions that day. She doubted she could ever consider the two of them friends, but she no longer wanted to claw his eyes out, or burst into tears, whenever in his presence. So that was progress.

The mansion came into sight at last and Felicity felt a wave of nostalgia as she drove up the winding drive towards the place that looked more like a castle than it did a family home. She pulled the car she’d just recently purchased, a smart hybrid with all-wheel drive, up to the stone portico that reached across the entry to the home. A few other cars were parked there and she almost found herself missing Oliver’s old coupe that she recalled so fondly. Idly, as she walked up to the door, she wondered what he was driving now.

Felicity rang the doorbell and the door was opened by a kindly older woman with dark hair shot through with grey. Her eyes crinkled in the corners as she smiled at her. “Miss Felicity, it’s so lovely to see you again. Please, come in. Mr. Oliver is expecting you.”

“Raisa!” Felicity remembered the sweet Russian housekeeper that had kept her and her classmates fed that week. She gave her a warm hug after stepping inside. “You look great.”

Raisa dismissed her compliment with a wave of her hand and another big, beaming smile. “Not nearly as wonderful as you, dear. Come, follow me. I will show you the way.”

Felicity followed Raisa through the house, vaguely remembering where things were. It seemed she was bringing her to the library and her suspicions were confirmed when she opened the doors to the massive room lined with books that Felicity had spent so many hours in, preparing for matches with her team. It looked exactly the same, not a book out of place.

Oliver was already inside, reading over a paper as he stood next to the long table in the center of the room. He looked up, a smile growing as he saw her entering.

“Thank you, Raisa,” Felicity said to the kindly housekeeper. Raisa patted her arm before sending Oliver a look over her shoulder.

“She is such a good girl,” she told Oliver in a censorious tone. “Why aren’t you with her?”

“Raisa…”

But Raisa just winked at Felicity as she walked out of the library, closing the doors behind her and leaving them alone. Felicity cleared her throat and crossed to the table, setting her tote on the surface.

“It’s fine. She means well,” she said.

“I’m sorry. She really liked you.”

“Feeling was mutual.”

Oliver smiled at her softly and she could tell he wanted to say something to her but was biting it back. For maybe the first time, she was curious what he wanted to say.

They got to work after that. Felicity pulled out the product specs from the folder in her tote and Oliver combined them to the ad design mockup he’d laid out on the table. Then, they spent some time going over numbers. Marketing numbers weren’t really her thing but Oliver seemed to really understand them and she enjoyed seeing him so passionately and capably discussing them with her.

She must have been watching him with a strange expression because Oliver stopped mid-sentence and cocked his head, looking at her. “What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she said, shaking herself out of her reverie. “Just… I remember when you needed my help with math and now look at you. This is math. And you’re excellent at it.”

Oliver raised a brow and smiled. “Is that pride I hear?”

“I… I think it is.” Felicity chuckled at herself. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

They worked for another hour or so until it was just after noon. Felicity sat back, blowing out a breath. “Can we stop for lunch?” she asked.

“Sure,” Oliver said. “I can run to the kitchen, grab us some sandwiches.”

“No, that’s okay. I can run and pick something up.”

“Trust me, the nearest food place is five miles away. This would be quicker and easier. And probably taste better. I make a mean sandwich.”

“I don’t want to put you out,” Felicity said.

“It’s no bother,” he promised her. “I’m happy to do it.”

Another shard of ice in her heart melted at his eagerness to fix her lunch. “Okay. If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t. Any ingredients you don’t like? Pickles? Mustard?”

“I like it all. Surprise me.”

Oliver’s eyes positively twinkled. “Oh, I can do that.”

He left the library as Felicity pulled out her phone, checking for emails and messages. She was chuckling at a silly meme that Charlene had texted her when there was a soft knock at the ajar library door. She looked up to see a tall, slender brunette girl standing there, a half smile on her face.

“Felicity?” the young woman said, stepping forward. “Felicity Smoak, right? It’s Thea, Oliver’s little sister.”

Felicity leapt out of her chair. “Oh my gosh! Thea! You’ve grown so much!”

Thea rushed forward and they embraced. Then, Felicity held her back so she could really get a good look at her. “You are beautiful, of course, I knew you would be. I think attractiveness runs in the genes in this family. How old are you now?”

“Sixteen,” Thea replied. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“It’s great to see you. Wow, sixteen. That’s how old I was when I last saw you.”

“Really? You seemed so grown up and pretty and kind and smart. I thought you were amazing.”

Felicity fought a blush. “I’ll give you smart and maybe a little kind but I’m not sure about the rest. I felt like I was making it up as I went along. Which… is kind of what being an adult is like, actually.”

They both laughed a little. “Oliver said something about you being back in Starling for good. That you work at Palmer Tech?”

“Yep. I just moved back a little overa month ago.”

“Why Palmer Tech and not QC?” Thea asked, giving her a sly look.

“I think you probably know why,” Felicity answered. “But mostly because Ray Palmer offered me the job of a lifetime and I could not pass it up.”

“Ollie never told me the whole story of what happened. Always said I was too young,” Thea said, sighing. “All I know is he came back home the day you guys all left and he was in the worst mood. Went right up to his room, closed the door and didn’t come out except for school for what felt like weeks.”

That surprised Felicity a little. She wasn’t sure what she expected Oliver’s reaction ten years before would have been but becoming a shut in? Not it.

“Oliver neglected to tell me he had a girlfriend and I found out right after the competition, as we were preparing to leave,” Felicity said. The pain that always came with remembering those infamous moments was less, somehow. More of a pang than a sharp pain. That was new.

Thea’s eyebrows went up. “You mean Laurel? I know it doesn’t matter, but I’m not sure that really counts. Their relationship wasn’t really conventional… they were always breaking up and getting back together. I couldn’t keep track of when they were together and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ollie couldn’t either.”

“It’s sweet that you want to cover for him, but he knew. He knew it was wrong and he… we, uh… yeah. Anyhow, he knew.” Felicity stumbled over telling Oliver’s little sister that they’d slept together. Somehow, that felt taboo. But her blush gave her away.

The younger girl grinned. “Oh, it was like that, huh? He didn’t waste any time with you, did he?”

Felicity made a face, remembering how she’d thrown herself at him that night after the mixer. “Actually, it was more the other way around. Anyhow, that’s not the point. The point is he knew he had a girlfriend and he didn’t tell me.”

“Would it have changed anything?”

That nearly tripped her up. “Yes, absolutely it would have!” she exclaimed when she recovered.

“I was pretty young but even I knew Laurel wasn’t a very good girlfriend for him. She was using him for his popularity, his status, his money… she wanted her hooks in him because it made her look good.”

“None of that is a good reason to cheat on her. I don’t care how awful she was.” Felicity felt rather firmly about that.

“Okay, that’s a valid point. But still. Oliver has changed since then. I think he deeply regretted what happened. He never really had a serious relationship again after that. He focused on school, which was surprising to my folks, let me tell you. And now he’s focused on work. But he’s lonely. He doesn’t think I can tell, but I can.”

Felicity felt an itching between her shoulder blades, a restless sort of feeling. She shook it off and decided she needed to switch the gears of this conversation.

“Tell me what you’ve been up to,” she said. “Are you going to college?”

Thea fixed her with a shrewd look. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, but I’ll allow it. And yes, I do plan to go to college. Overseas, in fact. I want to go into fashion design.”

“Oh, that sounds great! And exciting. I’m sure your parents and Oliver will miss you.”

“Oliver will, I’m sure. You know, after you were here, he started spending a lot more time with me. You know, after he was done sulking.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, he’d take me places all the time. Like the zoo or the aquarium or the museum. We went to movies together all the time, or we’d watch them here. He didn’t even mind watching princess movies with me which… that’s saying something.” Thea chuckled at the memory and Felicity smiled.

“I’m so happy to hear that. I told him he should really spend more time with you, you know. Glad to know that he followed through.”

Thea suddenly threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly. Felicity hugged her back. “Thank you. For doing that. It meant everything to me then. And now.” She drew back and made a wry face. “Well, except when he’s being the overbearing older brother.”

“Being an overbearing older brother is his right,” Felicity pointed out, giving her a little nudge with her shoulder.

“What’s my right?” Oliver asked pushing into the room with a tray full of sandwiches, drinks, chips and other snack foods.

“To be a jerk brother,” Thea responded, sticking her tongue out at him playfully. “I’ll leave you two to your boring business. I just wanted to say hi to Felicity.”

“It was great seeing you again, Thea.”

“Yeah, don’t be a stranger, okay?”

“Maybe we can go shopping sometime soon,” Felicity suggested.

“Ooh, I will absolutely take you up on that. I’ll get your digits from Ollie. Oh, and Ollie? You still available to drive me to Shelly’s tonight?”

“Yeah, I will be. I haven’t forgotten.”

“Awesome. Thanks, big brother.”

Thea skipped out of the room and Felicity sighed happily. “I missed her.”

“I think she missed you too,” Oliver told her. “C’mon. Let’s eat.”

They ate while they worked some more and Felicity was feeling really good about the direction of everything. The afternoon proved to be very effective. Felicity had to admit that coming over had been a good idea. By the time she was packing up her things shortly before 5 o’clock, she felt they were ready to make their big presentation on Monday.

“This went well,” Oliver said, echoing her thoughts. He walked her out of the library and through the halls towards the front door. “I’m glad we did it.”

“Me too. I think we’re more than ready. I think the board and both your father and Ray will be impressed with what we’ve come up with.”

“It was also nice spending time with you, Felicity,” Oliver admitted, walking her to her car parked in the driveway.

She paused by her car door, clutching her tote to her chest as though it were a sort of shield. “Oliver… please don’t push it.”

“I can’t tell you the truth? I’ve missed you, Felicity. There hasn’t been a week that’s gone by in ten years that I haven’t missed you.”

She swallowed thickly past the lump in her throat. He looked so earnest, so pleading and there was a very large part of her that wanted to just break down and give in to him. But she had to be strong. At the very least for the sake of the project.

“Please, we need to get this project finished…”

“And then what?” he demanded, his frustration clear on his face. “Then you can ignore me and pretend what’s here between us doesn’t exist?”

“We can’t let ourselves be distracted. And yes… I was hoping that things could go back to how they were after the gala,” she admitted. Though her insistence on that was growing weaker by the day. By the moment.

Oliver’s brows drew together, his jaw tightened. “You don’t seem nearly as affected by the memory of us as I am. Did what we had mean so little to you that you can just forget it?”

Felicity felt as though she’d been punched in the gut. Her eyes stung as she tilted her chin upwards in defiance of Oliver’s ire. “It meant so much, Oliver. So much that I need to forget just so I can keep moving.”

His mouth fell open, his eyes wide. Panicking, Felicity grappled for the door handle of her car and let herself in before she did something stupid like throw herself into his arms. Without looking back at him, she quickly reversed, turned around, and got out of there. With the dark of night gathering around her as she drove, Felicity swore at herself for what she felt was a near miss. She’d have to be extra vigilant this next week. There was no way she could risk her heart again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again, thank you to @lexiblackbriar for the beautiful graphic! 💜


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of the gala has arrived. What revelations will come with it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU GUYS. I was *not* expecting the reaction to the last chapter! I was so thrilled to see everyone's comments! It also means that I'm extra excited to share THIS chapter with you all. I hope you all find it as satisfying to read as it was satisfying for me to write. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the support! 
> 
> And also thank you to @lexiblackbriar for all the beautiful posters she made me.

Their presentation went off without a hitch, as Felicity had suspected, and the rest of the week was uneventful. On Wednesday after work, she went looking for a dress and ran into Thea at the mall. The young woman took her by the arm and dragged her around to what she called her “favorite stores”. Felicity wasn’t quite used to her new, higher paycheck yet so she’d been browsing at her old favorite stores. Thea informed her that off the rack would not do and she needed to purchase something a little finer for this event, and have it tailored.

Felicity took her word for it.

There were many fine dresses, with even finer price tags, but the one that caught her eye and held her imagination the most looked like it belonged in a fairy tale. Pale pink chiffon, lace and gold beading looked ethereal on the hanger and even more exquisite when she tried it on. Thea declared it the winner instantly, telling her that Oliver would “have kittens” when he saw it. Felicity couldn’t help but laugh at that colorful image and she had to admit, turning his head was something she might just enjoy.

In the days since their moment outside his family home, Felicity had been thinking a lot about her embargo on all things Oliver. Ten years was a long time to hold a grudge, regardless of how badly he’d hurt her and betrayed her trust. He insisted he’d changed, everyone around him seemed to insist the same… maybe it was time to hear him out? The project was over, out of their hands, and she really had no other excuse to put him off. But she was still nervous.

The seamstress at the shop took her measurements and did some pinning on the dress and told her the dress would be ready Saturday afternoon, just in time for the gala that night. Thea then helped her pick out the perfect gold, strappy heels to go with it. She also had some suggestions on how Felicity should wear her hair (down, but lightly curled and flowing) and do her makeup (dramatic, smokey eye and pink lipstick and blush). The girl seemed to know her stuff when it came to fashion so Felicity took her advice.

It was lovely hanging out with Oliver’s sister. They had lunch together and chatted, this time not about Oliver, and it felt good to have someone she could be friends with in Starling City. Though she did still miss Charlene, even with their regular phone calls.

On the day of the gala, Felicity picked up her dress from the shop. She had arranged for a car service to pick her up and drive her to the gala being held at the Grand Pacific Hotel downtown so she didn’t have to worry about how to drive over there in the voluminous dress and those dainty heels. She spent a couple hours before the event getting ready, doing her makeup and putting in contacts so she could leave her glasses at home. She wanted tonight to be perfect. Maybe if she looked perfect, her nerves would settle down.

That didn’t seem to be the case later on, when she was riding to the hotel. The car was beautiful and luxurious, a stretch limousine which she’d never ridden in before. Ray had told her to get used to such luxuries when he’d urged her to book the car for the evening. He told her this was what people in positions like hers did. So Felicity was walking the walk, even if it didn’t come completely naturally to her just yet.

There were already streams of beautiful people heading into the hotel when she arrived and several stopped to watch as she stepped out of the car with the help of the chauffeur. She could even swear she saw a flash or two go off but couldn’t imagine who might want a picture of her. Still, she tried her best to hold her head up as she headed into the hotel and towards the ballroom where the gala was taking place.

The ballroom had been decked out in lights and flowers and elegant music played while the beautiful people assembled there mingled. More people turned and looked as she entered and Felicity had to remind herself not to fidget or play with her hair. Ray was at her side almost immediately, his fiancée Anna at his side.

“You are looking lovely this evening, Felicity,” he told her. “I hope you plan to enjoy yourself because you’ve earned this celebration.”

“Thank you, Ray. I will do my best.” She smiled at Anna. “You look lovely Anna. I love your dress!”

“Yours is amazing, you’ll have to tell me where you found it,” Anna replied graciously.

“Would you like me to introduce you around, Felicity? I keep forgetting you might not know all the Starling City movers and shakers just yet.”

“Sure, that’d be lovely.”

From there, she met all different sorts of people, from other business contacts, to local politicians and celebrities, to the vastly wealthy and their limitless wallets (and an enthusiasm to invest). She took note and remembered everyone. At one point, she saw Oliver across the room and had to check her reaction.

He was dressed, not in a tuxedo like so many of the men present, but a blue tweed three piece suit, complete with waistcoat. His silk tie was a darker shade of blue and even from across the ballroom, Felicity could tell that the color would set off those amazing blue eyes of his. He was talking to some people Felicity hadn’t met yet, none of whom she recognized. She couldn’t help but wonder if he’d seen her yet. She also wondered if she’d be talking to him tonight. What would she say if she did?

“And this is Laurel Lance, newly elected as the city’s district attorney!” Ray was saying. Upon hearing the name, Felicity stiffened. The woman he was introducing didn’t much resemble the resentful brunette she remembered. She was thinner, leaner, with a meaner look and her hair was significantly blonder. “Ms. Lance, this is my VP of Research and Development, Felicity Smoak.”

Had Felicity thought she looked mean before? At the mention of her name, Laurel visibly cooled, her eyes narrowing as she looked Felicity up and down. At the risk of things becoming awkward, Felicity stuck out her hand. “Lovely to meet you, Ms. Lance.”

Laurel seemed to catch herself and she shook Felicity’s hand. Her fingers were long and cold.

“Oh! There’s Congressman Williams. I need to talk to him about something. I’ll catch up with you later, Felicity!” Ray said as he rushed off, leaving her alone with the new DA.

“Well. I’d heard rumors you were back in town but I rather hoped they weren’t true,” Laurel said, not bothering to hide her contempt any longer. “Tell me you aren’t trying to steal away Mr. Palmer from his fiancée. Anna is a lovely woman, she doesn’t deserve to have done to her what you did to me ten years ago.”

Felicity seethed but kept her polite exterior in place. “Ray is a dear friend of mine from college. He needed a brilliant mind for his new R&D department so he thought of me. Isn’t that lovely?”

Laurel hummed in a way that told Felicity she didn’t think it was lovely at all. “So you’re just going to ignore the fact that you broke up Oliver and I? He was ruined after you, you know. No one wanted him then.”

Felicity had it on Sara’s authority that Laurel did indeed want him but she was a bigger person than to bring that up. “I apologized then and I will apologize again if it helps you feel any better, Laurel. You know I had no idea about you and Oliver. And I’ll repeat what I told you then; the person you should direct your venom at is him, not me. I broke things off with him as soon as I knew.”

“If you broke things off, then why did he act like you two were still together?” Laurel asked, brow raised. “He’s barely dated since then.”

Felicity sighed, fighting the urge to rub her temples. This woman contradicted herself at every turn. One minute, no one wanted him, now she was upset because he didn’t want anyone else? “I had nothing to do with him after that. Until last month, I hadn’t seen him once in the last ten years. That’s the truth, not that I owe it to you. If I were you, I would find someone else and perhaps leave the dirty history behind.”

From the sour expression on Laurel’s face, that advice wasn’t welcome at all. “It’s all your fault, you know. I don’t know what you did to him but he was never the same again. No more parties, no more goofing around… he basically disappeared all during college and now he’s so busy with work and his family that he’s never around anymore.”

So he really had grown up after all. The signs had been there all along, of course, but seeing Laurel so upset at Oliver becoming a responsible man put it all into sharp relief. If not for her, he probably would have stayed on that path, wasting his life away on nonsense and the wrong people. Laurel would have encouraged that side of him. But Felicity hadn’t.

Again, she looked across the room towards Oliver. His eyes were on her now and she could see him excusing himself from the people he was talking to. Awareness prickled along the exposed skin of her back as she turned back to Laurel.

“Why do you hate seeing him succeed, Laurel?” she asked. “Is it because once he’s free of his old lifestyle, he won’t need you to steer him along anymore? Maybe you’re mad because he realized he never needed you in the first place. None of that has anything to do with me.”

Laurel looked shocked. Two spots of color appeared high on her cheeks as her mouth hung open, a retort clearly escaping her as Felicity lifted her brows and turned away, walking towards Oliver.

He was halfway across the ballroom and she met him on the edge of the dance floor that had been set up. He looked her over and his gaze was far different from the cold perusal Laurel had given her. His eyes heated and… yes, she’d been right. The blue suit did set his eyes off perfectly. And those eyes were eating her up as though she was a tasty meal. Her cheeks flushed.

“Felicity…” he breathed. “You look absolutely stunning.”

“Thank you,” she replied. “I love that color on you.”

He looked nearly surprised to hear her say it. That made her smile and relax. Her nerves were calming a little, now that she was standing here before him. She knew exactly what she needed to do now. No doubts.

“I’ve been thinking,” she said. Oliver’s eyes widened and he took hold of her elbow, steering her to a less populated corner of the room.

“What about?” he asked.

“Things. Us. The past. Who we are now.”

His shoulders tensed under the tweed fabric of his fantastic suit. “And what conclusion did you arrive at?”

“I think I’m ready to hear what you have to say now. I’m ready to listen,” she told him.

The entire ballroom seemed to fall away, as though they were the only two there. His lips parted as he studied her, clearly not sure if he was ready to believe what she’d just said. Felicity felt a twinge of guilt at how she’d pushed him away so completely, making him so unsure around her. He hadn’t used to be that way with her. It used to be so easy for them to be together. He’d ruined it, yes, but she hadn’t helped in the last month or so.

“Are you saying… you’re ready to talk?” he asked, his voice quiet and a little hoarse.

Felicity nodded, her hair brushing her shoulder blades as she did so. “I am. Our work on the project is done and… well… I understand some things a little better now. So yes, I’m ready to talk.”

“Okay.” He reached down and took her hand, pulling her towards the doors.

“Wait, right now?” she asked. “I need to say goodbye to Ray.”

“You can text him,” Oliver said, not slowing his step.

“Oliver…” she protested.

He stopped and whirled around to face her, his body crowding into hers. “Felicity…” He reached up, lightly cupping her jaw and letting his thumb graze her cheek. “I’ve waited ten very long years to be able to tell just how sorry I am, to clear the air and to try to make things up to you. Yes, I’m ready to do this now.”

Felicity swallowed thickly, her pulse skittering wildly. She nodded. “O-Okay. We can go now.”

With a small smile, Oliver recaptured her hand and continued tugging her out the doors of the ballroom and towards the hotel exit. Had he always been this commanding or was that new? Felicity realized she was rather eager to find out.

***

Oliver’s heart pounded in his ears as he led Felicity through the hotel lobby and out the front doors. His driver was standing nearby, chatting with some of the other drivers and once Oliver signaled to him, he dashed off to retrieve the limo.

Oliver turned to Felicity, mindful of the cool night air, and rubbed his hands on her arms. “I’m sorry, are you cold?”

“I should have brought a wrap,” she said, chastising herself.

He didn’t even hesitate; he removed his suit coat and pulled it around her shoulders. It was a pity to cover up that fantastic dress she was wearing but he couldn’t stand her shivering a second longer than she needed to. She smiled up at him gratefully and he could have died right then. He never thought he’d see her smile at him again.

“Thank you,” she said, pulling the coat around her a little and he caught her sniff at the collar as his limo pulled up in front of them. He touched the small of her back, feeling the heat of her skin through his jacket. He was mindful of the chiffon folds of her gown as he got in after her.

Once inside, with the door closed, Oliver couldn’t help but breathe in the soft, floral scent of her perfume and he had to clench his fists to prevent himself from trying to find all the places on her body where she’d dabbed the scent. He cleared his throat, hoping to distract himself.

“Why now?” he asked her.

“The talk?”

Oliver nodded. “Yeah. Is it just because the project is over?”

“Partly but not all. I—I’ve been thinking about it lately. About hearing you out. I don’t like being at odds with you.”

“Me either.” Maybe Sara had been right. She was sure that Felicity wasn’t over him and while he’d doubted it, maybe there was some truth there. His heart sped up with the hope of it.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

That was a good question. If he brought her back to his place or took her to hers, he might be tempted to do more than just talk. And as badly as he wanted her, he didn’t want sex to distract them from what needed to be discussed. Oliver was determined to do this right. So neutral ground was vital.

“I know this little diner, just off 5th Street. It’s open all night and usually isn’t too crowded so we’ll have a chance to talk. Plus, they have the best pie,” he said.

She smiled and nodded. “That sounds great.”

Oliver let the driver know where they were headed and then settled back into his seat. Felicity looked like an angel, sitting with her hands folded in her lap, his jacket still tucked around her shoulders. “Have I mentioned you look gorgeous tonight?” he asked her.

“I think you did,” she replied demurely. “Have I mentioned how that suit makes your eyes look even bluer?”

That was why he’d selected it. “And you like that?” It was nearly shameful how needy he was for her approval and pleasure.

Felicity nodded, her soft hair bouncing lightly. “I’ve always loved your eyes.”

It was very difficult not to take a lot of encouragement from that.

They arrived at the diner and the driver helped them each from the car. Oliver led her into the small building with it’s long, shining counter. He selected a booth near the back, waving at the night waitress as he passed her behind the counter.

They each looked out of place under the bright lights and amidst the colorful vinyl and laminate in their fancy, expensive clothes but Oliver couldn’t bring himself to care right then. Felicity was ready to talk to him.

The waitress, Sandy, came and take their orders. They each requested a cup of coffee and a slice of apple pie to go with it. Both were served up quickly and then, they were left alone.

“I should probably start,” he said, after taking a bracing sip of his coffee. “Felicity, what I did was wrong. I knew it at the time and I’ve had nothing but time to regret it.”

She nodded, her eyes sober. “I wish you’d told me. I wouldn’t have thrown myself at you the way I did…”

He could see that she was embarrassed by that and he hated it. “Please, don’t regret any of that. The night I spent with you is the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m so glad it happened.”

“But you were cheating,” she reminded him. “I couldn’t even look back on it fondly because it was tainted with that. What you did ruined that for me.”

Her words were like a knife in his heart. “I was selfish,” he admitted quietly. “I knew I shouldn’t, but I wanted that time with you. My brain would tell me to stop… all week long. But then you would be there and I couldn’t resist spending time with you. I was weak and selfish.”

“I loved spending that time with you,” Felicity admitted. “But you could have told me about Laurel. I would have backed off…”

“And you backing off is something I very much didn’t want you to do. What I should have done was call up Laurel and tell her we were over. We’d been over since we began. I knew we weren’t a good fit. But she was pretty and popular and everyone said we ‘made sense’ so I went along with it. She never seemed to care when I’d go out with other girls. It was easy. But I wasn’t happy with her. That was you. You made me happy and it made me realize what I could have. I should have called Laurel and broken up with her.”

“Were you ever going to do that?” Felicity asked, her voice small as she poked at her pie with her fork. “Break up with her?”

Oliver sighed. “Yes, after you left. I didn’t want Laurel taking up any of the short time we had together so I convinced myself I could do it later. And, for the record, I was planning to tell you. You remember that last day, right before the match? I wanted to tell you something.”

Felicity was silent for a moment and then she nodded. “I do. I told you to wait until after the match.”

“Yes. It was eating me up, keeping that from you. I was going to tell you. But I should have told you sooner. I’m sorry.”

Silence descended and all he could hear was the soft music playing over the diner’s sound system. Even Sandy was quiet behind the counter as she filled salt and pepper shakers. Oliver could scarcely breathe as he waited for Felicity’s response. What she said next could give him hope or doom them once and for all.

“We were young, Oliver,” she said at last. “Maybe too young. Everything felt very immediate and very big back then. I had a hard time believing a guy like you would even look twice at someone like me. I was always the nerdy girl with the glasses, smarter than anyone else in the room. Guys don’t tend to like that. And here you were, the most beautiful boy I’d ever seen in my life and you liked me. It was heady. And scary. And I think a part of me didn’t trust it fully. I was insecure, I suppose. So when Laurel confronted me, that seemed like the shoe I’d been waiting to drop. You being a cheating cad made more sense in my mind than you being genuinely interested in me.”

Oliver blew out a breath. She was right, of course. They had been young. She’d been unsure and he’d been careless. The two qualities together had been a ticking time bomb. But he had to set one thing straight. “Felicity, I wasn’t just attracted to you,” he told her. “I—I fell in love with you. Completely. Head over heels. I’d never felt that before. Or since.”

Her eyes were wide as she stared at him. “Oliver…”

“I mean it, Felicity. You… there was something so different about you. I knew, that last night, that I loved you.”

“I knew it too,” she admitted. “I loved you too.”

He reached across the table for her hands and she let him clasp them. He held on tight, closing his eyes as he fought against the agony of all the years they’d lost together. “I’m so, so sorry,” he said hoarsely. “I was such a fool.”

“I was so hurt,” she said. “But I should have talked to you. At least for closure, if nothing else.”

The mere thought of closure was a pang in his heart. He squeezed her hands tighter. “I wouldn’t have wanted us to be over,” he said. “I still don’t. Even ten years later, I don’t want closure. I want more.”

Oliver looked at her, noticing how she trembled, how her throat worked as she swallowed. “I… might want more too.”

He almost didn’t hear her, she’d spoken so softly. His heart skipped a beat. “Felicity?”

“Maybe we can try again?” she asked.

Sweet Jesus. It was everything he’d ever wanted from her. Just a chance. Oliver licked his lips. “I would like that. Very much.”

“Just… can we take it a little slow?” she asked. “I feel like I need a little more time to settle into this. This is switching gears for me. It’s a lot to process.”

It was so hard to hold back from her but this was why they’d come to a diner and not some place more private. He nodded. “Yes. We can take this as slow as you need.”

“I want to do this right,” she told him.

“Absolutely. I do too.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her knuckles. “Why don’t you let me drive you home. You can call the car you hired and tell them you won’t need them tonight.”

She raised an eyebrow at him and he affected total innocence.

“No funny business, I swear!”

Chuckling, she agreed. They paid their tab and left Sandy a tip before returning to the limo out front. They talked the whole drive to her apartment and Oliver felt something settle within him at having her here like this. This felt right.

When they pulled up at the apartment building, Oliver got out to walk her to the elevators. “I want to make this week special,” he told her.

“Oh? How do you plan to do that?”

Ideas were crashing through his mind and he grinned. “You’ll see. But for now… goodnight, Felicity Smoak.” He squeezed her hand and let her go.

“Goodnight.”

It was with a light step that Oliver returned to the limo and headed towards his own apartment building. He definitely had some plans but chief among them was spending more time with Felicity. At last.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver sets about wooing Felicity back to him. How will she receive his efforts?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think some of you were surprised with the last chapter! Which is delightful to me; I love to manage to surprise you all. And such a pleasant surprise too! 
> 
> I think you'll enjoy this chapter even more. It was fun to write. 💜 Soft Oliver is the best Oliver, imo. 
> 
> In writing news, I finished "sweating our confessions", which is the friends with benefits AU. It will be ready to be posted as soon as this fic is finished being posted. I'm tentatively planning on next Friday for the first chapter. Any of you with me?? 
> 
> And since I finished that fic, I was able to get started on my Smoaking Billionaires fic. This one is long awaited... by me. I've wanted to write one for years and just never had the nerve. No time like the present, right? What else do I have to do in quarantine (besides make sure my kids don't flunk out of homeschool lol)? I've already written a chapter and have a detailed outline for the rest. It looks like it could be a long one. 
> 
> Okay, on with the show, right?

Felicity wasn’t sure what to expect from Oliver as she went to work on Monday. He’d seemed pretty enigmatic Saturday night when he dropped her off at her apartment. The twinkle in his eyes told her he had something up his sleeve. And she was only a little sorry that she hadn’t kissed him good night. But Felicity knew that if she’d kissed him that all her intentions about going slow and rebuilding what they’d broken would be lost.

Still, she was excited to see what he had in store for her.

Felicity didn’t have to wait long; Oliver showed up at her office shortly after noon with a large bag in hand.

“Do you have lunch plans?” he asked her.

“I was just going to eat a sandwich I brought from home,” she said.

“I can do better than that. Come with me. Please?”

Eagerly, she took his hand and let him lead her out of her office. She called over her shoulder for her executive assistant to hold her calls before she was tugged towards the elevators. Outside, the sun shone down through the trees that were now nearly bare of leaves. It was a rare warm day in late fall, surely a sign some bad weather was on the way. But, for the moment, it was warm and sunny and perfect outside.

“We have to take advantage of these last beautiful days of fall,” he told her seriously. “I can’t in good conscience let you eat a sad sandwich up in your office when you could be out here, breathing the fresh air and enjoying the sunshine.”

“And you,” she added. Oliver beamed down at her.

“The company isn’t too bad, I’ll admit.”

The financial district of Starling City was very near the bay and it was a short walk over to the waterfront park that she remembered him taking her to ten years ago. “How about a picnic?” he said, brandishing the bag. “I put this together for us this morning, hoping you didn’t have any plans.”

“A picnic sounds marvelous,” she said.

They found a nice, quiet spot underneath a tree and Felicity helped him lay out a blanket for them to sit on. Then, he began to take boxes from the bag he carried. Pasta salad, crackers, cheese, a variety of meats, some fruit, a bottle of sparkling water… it was perfect. They ate and chatted, using the time to catch each other up on what their lives had been like.

“My parents have never been terribly attentive, but I noticed they’re slowing down as they get ready to retire,” he told her. “Which means more time for the family. Thea is thrilled. So am I.”

“I’d love to meet them sometime,” Felicity said.

“You will,” he promised with a soft smile.

She even told him about her time at MIT. “I was a bit of a mess the first year or two. I dyed my hair black and got in with a bad crowd of kids. Mostly hacktivism type stuff but it was definitely not legal stuff. Then I met Charlene, my roommate and soon-to-be best friend and Ray and they helped me rejoin the land of the living. I miss Char every day.”

“You should go visit her.”

“Or have her come here to visit me.”

“Even better.”

After they were finished with their food, Oliver walked her across the street to a familiar little weather-beaten shack. “Ice cream!” she cried, delighted.

He got her a cone of mint chip and himself some rocky road and they walked, hand in hand, back towards their offices, licking at their frozen treats and enjoying one another’s company. Oliver left her at the doors to the Palmer Tech building.

“I’m not going to kiss you,” he told her. “Yet. But I do want to know, did you have a good lunch?”

“I had the best lunch. Thank you.”

Felicity rode the elevator up to her office, finishing off her ice cream cone and humming to herself. Her heart felt light and she couldn’t keep a smile from her face. That man was too sweet for his own good.

***

The next day, Tuesday, Felicity didn’t think she’d hear from him. She was swamped with work and his text messages to her let her know he was equally busy. Bad weather had indeed rolled in, covering Starling City with dark clouds and moody drizzle. Despite her workload, her afternoon dragged on and Felicity couldn’t wait to get out of there, get home and open a bottle of wine and watch some TV. Maybe she’d text some more with Oliver. Perhaps even call him up. She missed seeing him and it’d been barely more than a day.

Felicity was shocked, then, when Oliver showed up about an hour after lunch. He had a cup of coffee and a small paper sack in his hand.

“I thought you could use a bit of an afternoon pick-me-up. I know I could. So while I was at the coffee shop, I picked this up for you,” he told her, setting the cup and sack down on her desk.

“Oh my god, you are a lifesaver,” she told him, taking a greedy sip of her drink. It tasted divine. “What’s in the sack?”

“A couple little bagel bites. They make them fresh and they’re addictive as heck. I thought you might enjoy them.”

Her stomach growled nearly on cue, reminding her that her lunch had been a small salad and nothing more. “Again, you are a lifesaver.”

“I’ll let you get back to your work but… call me tonight?” Oliver looked so hopeful she wanted to grab him and kiss him. But she resisted. Just barely.

“I will.”

After he left, she sipped at her drink and nibbled on the bagel bites and thought about Oliver Queen and his shy, sweet smile.

***

Wednesday was another insanely busy day for both of them. Oliver would text her randomly throughout the day with emojis and gifs, indicating his mood at the moment. They made her laugh so she responded in kind. It was enough to get her through the day. But barely.

By the time she got home, Felicity was exhausted. She changed into some comfortable pajamas, fixed a tv dinner in the microwave, and kicked back in front of the tv. She’d just finished her food when her phone rang. It was Oliver calling.

“Hey you. Long day too?” she asked as she settled back against the sofa cushions.

“The longest,” he replied. “And it was terrible because I didn’t get to see you at all.”

“Tragic,” she agreed. This man. “Maybe we need to rectify that tomorrow?”

“I agree,” he said. “What’d you have in mind?”

Felicity chewed her lip. “Well… I was thinking you could come over here after work. We could have some take-out for dinner, watch a movie? Just hang out?”

“Disney princess movie or something else?” he asked teasingly.

“Since Thea’s not with us, maybe we can watch something else.”

“I could always stop by and pick her up….”

He was teasing again, she knew, but her answer was quick and firm. “Nope. I want you all to myself.”

“Oh?” She could almost hear his eyebrows shooting up. “Aren’t you afraid that you and I, alone in your apartment could possibly interfere with your whole ‘take it slow’ plan?”

That was a legitimate concern, Felicity knew. “I think maybe I can resist you for one night.”

“What if I can’t resist you?” he asked, his voice deep. A shiver stole down her spine.

“You’ll have to try,” she said back but there was little conviction in her voice. Oliver chuckled.

“Careful there. This conversation could take a very different turn and I don’t think we’re ready for that just yet.”

The implication that their conversation could very easily turn sexy made Felicity shiver again. She burrowed deeper into her sofa, pulling her favorite throw blanket over her.

“Spoilsport,” she teased.

Oliver growled softly in rebuke and holy cow, that was hot.

Felicity was about to just say screw it and go for the sexy phone call but Oliver changed the subject, asking her about her mother and when the last time she’d gone to Vegas for a visit was. She sulked a little but played along. She was the one who had set these rules, after all.

They ended up talking well into the night, well past when she would have gone to bed. But listening to his voice was something she’d denied herself for ten long years and she loved to hear him talk, even if it was just about the last family vacation he’d gone on the year before for Christmas and how Thea had sprained her ankle and he’d spent the week doting on her. She loved to hear it all.

Apparently, Felicity so loved the sound of his voice that he soothed her right to sleep. She fell asleep with the phone to her ear and woke up the next morning on her sofa, a slight crick in her neck, and a text from Oliver wishing her sweet dreams.

***

He came over to her apartment after work, as agreed upon. He’d picked up some Chinese food on his way over and had a bottle of wine in one hand. She quickly grabbed it from him.

“You are a sight for sore eyes,” she gushed.

“Me, or the wine?” he asked, chuckling.

“Both,” she declared and setting the wine down, she gave him a hug which he returned. God, he gave the best hugs.

They set up the take-out containers on her coffee table and sat cross-legged on the floor, arguing about which movie to watch. Oliver was in favor of anything with lots of car chases and explosions while she wanted something sweet and romantic. They ultimately agreed on a comedy, something that had been very big in the theaters last year but that they’d both missed going to see.

It felt good, doing something normal together. Felicity was beginning to see how it would be with them dating. Having each other to motivate themselves to get through the work day, spending their evenings together. Hugs and kisses and movies and fun. That’s what she really wanted. Her professional goals were very much in place, but Felicity was beginning to see that she could have them and have the domestic life she craved as well.

After the movie was over it was getting a little late so Oliver decided it was time for him to go. Felicity whined a little about it but knew he was right. She needed a good night’s sleep in her own bed that night. Her neck was still sore from the awkward position she’d slept in on the sofa.

Once the boxes and the wine were all cleared up, Felicity walked him to her door.

“What are we doing tomorrow?” she asked, now expecting him to have something in mind.

“I don’t know,” he said, grinning down at her as he lingered in her doorway. “I’ll have to think something up.”

“You don’t have a plan?” she said, a little surprised.

His grin turned positively lecherous. “Plans? No. Hopes? Yes.”

“Good lord,” she groaned. “You’re killing me.”

“Now that I planned…” Oliver leaned towards her and her heart sped up. He was going to kiss her! At last!

His lips brushed hers in a kiss so soft and faint that she might have missed it if she hadn’t been expecting it. Just a touch and then he was drawing back and away from her, his smile now soft.

“Goodnight, Felicity. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She groaned again. “You better.” Her frustration was mounting every moment she spent with him and it surprised her very little to learn that he’d planned it that way. Felicity shook her head at him as he sauntered to the elevators. This whole ‘taking it slow’ thing was getting pretty old. She might have to put the moves on him herself.

Just like old times.

***

The next day, Friday, he came to her office at the end of the day. “Want to go get some drinks? Celebrate the weekend?” he suggested.

Felicity could think of so many ways she wanted to celebrate the weekend and going for drinks fell rather far down the list. Still, she nodded and grabbed her purse and coat to follow him out to the elevator.

“Any bar in particular?” she asked.

“Tommy’s got a place in the Glades. Verdant. It’s a real hit. And I’m always on the VIP list there,” Oliver said as they rode the elevator together.

“I’m sure you’re on all the VIP lists. You’re a Queen.”

“This is true.”

She elbowed him, making him chuckle. It was so good to see him happy and smiling and laughing again. The tense stand off between them while they worked on the project just wasn’t naturale and Felicity knew it’d been largely because she’d wanted it that way. Though now, she had a hard time remembering why.

Oliver’s car waited at the curb, a shiny, sleek Lotus Elise. “It’s beautiful,” she remarked as he opened the passenger door for her.

She waited until he got behind the wheel to finish her thought. “I miss your old coupe though. Some nice memories of that car.”

His smile was a little wistful. “It wasn’t the same after you left. That car just reminded me of how badly I’d messed up with you.”

“Maybe we can make some new memories in this car,” she said. Grinning, she saw Oliver’s hands tighten on the wheel as he steered through the crowded streets of downtown Starling, headed towards the Glades.

The Glades was an older section of town. A little more run down, a little more disadvantaged. It was coming back… new businesses were opening and special programs revitalized the once depressed district. Felicity had read all about the revitalization in the newspaper shortly after she moved to Starling. It sounded like Tommy’s bar was part of the effort to give new life to the area.

When they pulled up to Verdant, Felicity saw with some surprise that it wasn’t just a bar, but a full fledged nightclub. “I’m not sure I’m dressed appropriately for this,” she said, indicating her pencil skirt and blouse.

The look Oliver gave her as he helped her from the car was sinful. “I think you look fine,” he told her.

“You’re going to have to stop saying things like that if you want to keep this ‘take it slow’ thing going,” she told him.

“It was your idea,” he reminded her as he ushered her past the velvet rope, nodding at the bouncers there.

“I know. Next time I have a big idea, stop me,” she grumbled.

Inside, Tommy noticed them right away and rushed to their side. Besides running into him at Oliver’s office before, Felicity didn’t remember much of Tommy from when she’d been here ten years ago. He’d been at the party Oliver had thrown, right in the middle of it. She supposed it made a lot of sense that he would go on to open a nightclub. He was very gracious and charming as he showed them to a nice table in the VIP section.

“Nothing but the best for my best friend,” he declared as Oliver helped her into her seat. “And good going, buddy. I knew you could do it.” He punched Oliver lightly on the shoulder before sauntering off, leaving them alone.

“What was that about?” she asked.

Oliver smirked a little. “He gave me some advice a little while ago. Basically told me not to give up on you if you were what I truly wanted.”

“At the time I would have said that was terrible advice,” Felicity said. “But now, looking back… I’m rather glad he encouraged you.”

“It wasn’t just him. Sara was constantly after me to reconcile things with you and Thea too, once she saw you were back.”

“Poor baby, you got it from all sides, didn’t you?” Felicity teased.

“And you didn’t get pressure?”

“Yeah, a little from Sara. And Thea. And some from Charlene, even, who I thought was on my side.”

Oliver laughed at that.

They ordered their drinks and talked while the party around them revved up. Felicity hardly noticed though. Her attention was completely on Oliver and his on her. She wondered if this would be the night he finally made a real move on her. She had a good feeling what her response to that would be.

After they left Verdant, they were both pretty hungry so they stopped at Big Belly Burger and grabbed some burgers and fries. Somehow, greasy food after drinking was the best thing in the world and Felicity couldn’t stop exclaiming about it.

“We didn’t have Big Belly in Metropolis or Boston or Vegas. I never had this before coming here.”

“Then you missed out,” he declared, taking a huge bite of his Belly Buster.

After food, he drove her home. “It’s a lucky thing I live close enough to work that I walk most days or else I’d be stranded at home without my car tomorrow.”

“I’d find a way to get your car to you,” Oliver said. “Can I walk you up to your door?”

Her heart rate picked up. “Yes.”

Oliver took her hand as he walked her into the building and the entire ride up to her floor, he kept touching her so that she was about ready to jump out of her skin. By the time they arrived at her apartment door, Felicity knew she was going to ask him to come inside.

“I’m not going to come inside,” he told her, leaning a hand against her door jamb and reading her mind, apparently.

“How did you know I would ask?”

“I didn’t. But I guessed.”

“And why not?” she asked.

“Because, Felicity. I’m doing this the right way. And you wanted to ‘take it slow’.”

“I’m done taking it slow,” she told him, frustrated and yearning.

Oliver’s bright blue eyes warmed. “I’m so glad to hear that. In that case…” He leaned towards her and then stopped. “Tomorrow I’m taking you on a date. A real date. Dinner, the whole works.”

Felicity deflated a little. Why wouldn’t he just kiss her?? But then, her mind registered what he’d said. “A date?”

“Mmhm. I’ll pick you up at 7 o’clock. Wear something pretty.”

Mesmerized by him, she nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he repeated. Then he continued to bend towards her and kissed her.

It was more of a kiss than he’d given her last night, but it was still more chaste than she wanted. When he drew away, she moved to kiss him again but he held her back.

“Save it for tomorrow,” he told her, promise lighting his eyes.

“You’re an incorrigible man, Oliver Queen,” she grumbled at him.

“So they tell me.” With a wink, he left her there and Felicity leaned against her door, watching him go. She sighed. Tomorrow night, she’d jump him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe everyone! Wear your masks, wash your hands, stay home if you don't have an essential job to get to, practice that social distancing! 💜


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver takes Felicity on their big "first" date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we've reached the end. Thank you to everyone for reading and loving this story and to @lexiblackbriar for her cheering and for making me those beautiful banners. But the biggest thanks go to @andachippedcup because she made me write this in the first place and she was also instrumental in me posting it for you all. Her affection for this story was contagious. ;) 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this ending. Coming up, starting on Friday: "sweating our confessions", a friends with benefits AU.

Oliver had all day Saturday to think about and plan this date with Felicity. For the last ten years, he’d always regretted not taking Felicity on a real date before everything went bad. Well, he regretted a lot of things. But the date thing always ate at him. He was damn lucky she wanted to give him another shot. He wasn’t about to blow it. 

The most popular restaurant in town, and the most exclusive, was Table Salt. For most people, it took them at least four months to get a table, but Oliver had a standing reservation there. But Table Salt felt too obvious and too… impersonal. Felicity wasn’t impressed by material things (though she had been rather impressed by his car last night). He felt the best way to get to her heart was to go more personal, intimate, and relaxed. 

In that case, the best restaurant to take her to would be Alberto’s, down by the river. Alberto’s had been a Starling City staple for generations and the ownership of the restaurant had been passed down through the same family. It was small and intimate, with tables overlooking the river. The lighting was soft, the music was romantic and the food was… well, everyone loved Italian, right? 

Oliver put on a new suit, he bought her flowers and he willed his palms to stop sweating as he rode the elevator up to Felicity’s apartment to pick her up. There was no chance she was as nervous as he was. He reminded himself how she’d looked last night when he’d kissed her, how she’d wanted to kiss him again. The desire in her eyes had been plain to see and it had filled him with a confidence that he called upon now as he knocked on her door and waited for her to answer. 

The door opened and Felicity stood there, wearing a simple black dress with sheer lace detailing around the shoulders and the hem which danced around her shapely calves. Her hair was pulled up in a purposefully messy updo, the tendrils curling and waving around her face and neck. She had contact lenses in, so he could see her beautiful grey-blue eyes clearly. Her lips were bright and the black heels she wore made her stand in such a way that had his pulse thrumming. 

“Oliver!” she said, happy to see him. He handed her the flowers he carried, a multicolored arrangement of a variety of different flowers. Her eyes lit up even more, seeing them. 

“They’re not as beautiful as you but they’ll have to do,” he said. 

“Oh my gosh. Here, hold on a second while I go put these in some water.” She gestured him into her foyer while she darted off. Oliver looked around her apartment, what he could see of it, while he waited. She hadn’t had a chance to decorate it much yet, something she’d lamented to him this past week, but it already felt like home. The furnishings were classy and tasteful and her view of the bay was outstanding. 

“I think your view is better than mine,” he called to her.

“I somehow doubt that, given you’re a block closer,” she called back. 

She joined him a moment later, a wool coat over the top of her dress and a purse over her shoulder. “I’m ready.” 

The restaurant wasn’t too far but it was further than he felt comfortable making her walk so they rode in his Lotus over across the river. Alberto’s was full, doing great business as usual. Oliver had been coming here since he was a kid and he couldn’t remember a time where all the tables weren’t filled with happy customers. 

Felicity seemed delighted as they walked in, her eyes taking in everything. They were greeted by a hostess who happily showed them to their table. “Oliver, this place is amazing,” she told him as the hostess left them with menus. 

“I’m glad you like it. It’s always been a favorite of mine.” 

“I love Italian food,” she admitted, looking over the menu. 

“I had a feeling you would.” 

They each ordered, him a chicken cacciatore with roasted broccoli and her a spinach gnocchi with a side salad. Oliver also requested a bottle of their finest red wine to go with their meals. Once they were alone, they talked. This time, instead of catching one another up on their history, they discussed the future. Felicity told him about her dream to run her own tech company. She had so many ideas that she wanted to see to fruition and he couldn’t help but want to help her achieve it. For now, he just listened to her plans and made sure she knew he was interested. 

In turn, he shared his own dreams, though they were less majestic than hers. He was looking forward to taking over Queen Consolidated as CEO. He had some ideas on how to improve the employees’ quality of life at the company. He also wanted to have a family. When he was younger, he never could fathom having children but these days he’d been thinking of it more and more. He really wanted to pass something on to a new generation. Even if it was just his genetics. But hopefully, it would be more than that. Felicity admitted that she too had started thinking about having a family someday and Oliver couldn’t help but start to envision a little girl and a little boy with their combined features. He wanted it. Badly. 

But that could wait until later. One thing at a time. Right now, he was focusing on this date and on Felicity. Her eyes were shining in the candlelight and she looked soft and happy. 

Their food was delicious and the wine was even better. By the time they left the restaurant, both of them were feeling content and a little blissful. Oliver was also feeling excited. What came next? He just wasn’t sure about anything and decided he’d be better off just following Felicity’s lead. As he helped her into his car, he worked to clear his mind of any and all expectations. 

Oh, but anticipation thrummed through him, especially when Felicity suggested they go back to her apartment for a drink. 

He followed her to her door and he just knew his palms were sweating. He was acting like a boy who hadn’t seen a woman naked yet but… it was Felicity. He quite literally couldn’t help himself or his physical reaction to her. She turned him into that nervous, inexperienced young boy. 

Inside her apartment, he was left to explore while she went into her kitchen to find a bottle of wine and open it. Her living room was grand with that spectacular view of the bay he’d noticed the last time he was there. Her furniture looked comfortable while being stylish and he couldn’t resist sitting on the sofa to test it out. 

As he’d suspected, it was as comfortable as it looked. 

Felicity walked in carrying two wine glasses with her. “Making yourself at home?” she asked, setting the glasses on the coffee table before taking a seat next to him. 

“You have a lovely place,” he told her. “I love how you’ve furnished it so far.” Oliver reached for his glass and took a sip and Felicity mirrored him, keeping her eyes on him. 

“I still have some more shopping to do, something I might actually get done now that I have more time.” 

“We could go shopping together…” he suggested. 

Felicity’s eyes widened. “Oh my god. I never saw a man volunteer to go shopping before.” 

He had to laugh at that. 

“Are you real? Or did my brain make you up?” 

They talked and sipped wine for a little while longer until Felicity sat up and took the wine glass from his hand and set it aside. 

“Felicity?”

“I’m tired of waiting for you to make a move,” she told him as she leaned up and captured his lips with her own. Oliver was helpless to do anything but respond to her as he reached up to hold her face, tilting her head so he could kiss her deeper. 

They were alone and she smelled fantastic and tasted even better and Oliver’s head was swirling within seconds, desperate to have more of her. They were alone. Alone. He was supposed to be a gentleman here, not to push anything past the timeline she was comfortable with. Yes, she’d said she was done taking it slow but that was last night and maybe she’d changed her mind… 

He broke off the kiss though it took great effort. They were both breathing hard as he sat back, trying to put distance between them so he could calm himself down. 

“Why’d you stop?” she asked. 

“I don’t want to push you,” he explained, dragging his eyes from her lips where he was so tempted to dive back in. 

“Oliver… I told you I was done taking it slow. I invited you up here. I’ve been waiting for you to make a move. What more do you need?” 

When she put it that way… But there was still something that needed to be said before anything went further. Oliver blew out a breath and reached for Felicity’s hands, holding them in his. “I don’t need anything else,” he told her. “But I do need you to know something.” 

“What?” she asked softly. 

“I love you,” he said simply. “I never stopped loving you. You’ll never know how badly I regret not telling you about Laurel before. You trusted me and I completely violated that trust. But I learned my lesson and I like to think I’ve grown since then. I won’t make the same mistake twice. I’m sure I’ll make all new mistakes but… I won’t lie to you. And I will love you, from here on out, with everything I have. That is a promise.” 

Felicity softened before his eyes, her eyes watering a little as her lips trembled slightly. “Oh, Oliver. You darling man. I was so angry at you for so long but you know why I was so mad? It was because of the hurt, yes, but the reason it stayed with me so long is that I’d fallen so hard for you. And you’re right, I did trust you. You were my first, Oliver. My first  _ everything _ . First kiss, first sex… first heartbreak. And I— I never stopped loving you either. I really wanted to stop but I couldn’t. And now I don’t want to.”

He could barely breathe but somehow he managed to whisper her name. “Felicity?” 

“I love you too, Oliver.” 

He kissed her, unable to be parted from her lips another moment. He drank her in, softly, sweetly. She kissed him back, her arms wrapping around him and Oliver had the feeling that he was finally home. Where he belonged. 

  
***

Felicity woke up to warmth. It was all around her and it took her a moment to realize that it was because Oliver was all around her. She’d fallen asleep in his arms after a couple of rather vigorous rounds of making love. 

Making love. Memories from the night before washed over her. That beautiful date at that adorable little Italian restaurant on the river. Coming back to her apartment for drinks. That moment on the sofa where he’d said such wonderful things to her. Her heart throbbed even now, just remembering. And then… he’d taken her to bed. And loved her. Oh god, how he’d loved her. The man had only gotten better with time. His lips and hands and body… Felicity knew she was going to quickly become addicted to this man. Any way she could have him. 

Better than that, though, was the fact that she loved him, he loved her and they’d told each other that. All their cards were out on the table at last and, miracle of all miracles, they were on the same page. It felt  _ right _ , more right than anything had in her life in a long time. Well, taking this job and moving to Starling had felt right, despite her reservations at the time. Perhaps this was why. Perhaps fate knew all along that the two of them were destined to wind up in each other’s arms like this. Sighing happily, Felicity snuggled closer to Oliver’s warm body, kissing and nuzzling his chest as she let her mind finally daydream all her hopes and dreams for their future. 

Oliver had been so many of her firsts, but she was hoping for so many more firsts from here on out, the rest of their lives. Their first holiday together. The first man she lived with. Her first marriage proposal. Their first wedding. First children. First days of school. First graduations. First grandchildren. All of the firsts. All of  _ her _ firsts. And some of his too. 

That was her new wish for her life. 

But there was time for all of that. For the moment, she was content to cuddle in the arms of the man she loved on a sunny Sunday morning where neither of them had any place else to be. 

***

_Six months later…_

Oliver stopped by Felicity’s office to pick her up after work, as had become their custom. It’d started the Monday after their date, their last first date. He would pick her up, walk her home, and then walk to his own home if they hadn’t had plans that night. Then, two months ago, that routine changed a little bit. 

Oliver still came to her office to pick her up. And he still walked her home. But now he was walking home as well. They’d discussed moving in together and if they should share his apartment, her apartment, or find a new place together. Oliver had no fondness for the stark coldness of his place and he loved hers. It was convenient to both of their jobs and had that brilliant view of the bay. Her apartment was the natural choice. Plus… she had more rooms to expand into. When that day came. And Oliver hoped desperately that it would. He was finally trusting that it would. 

“Hey there gorgeous,” Oliver said, knocking on her open door. Her head snapped up and a bright smile bloomed across her face. 

“Just a sec!” Felicity chirped. “Just gotta send this email…. And done!”

He watched, charmed, as she gathered her things and made sure everything on her desk was put away for the evening. Then, she danced around from behind her desk and bounced up on her toes to give him a quick kiss. 

“How was your day?” she asked him as they started for the elevators. 

“Better now that I’m with you,” he admitted honestly. 

“Sap,” she said, nudging him with her shoulder. 

Felicity told him about the meetings she’d been in that day, about Palmer Tech’s new projects which she was at the head of. It was intimidating but a great opportunity and she couldn’t wait to show her stuff. Oliver knew she’d impress the right people. She always did. 

“You’re quiet today,” she mentioned as they walked along the city street together, hands linked. “Anything on your mind?” 

What a loaded question that was. With her, Oliver always had so many things on his mind, most of them having to do with their future together. He wanted so much. He couldn’t wait to share all the milestones with her. So many firsts. But before all of that…

He wanted to marry this woman. Looking back, Oliver thought he had wanted to marry her since he was nearly 18 years old. He’d been too young to fully realize it but he had recognized the pain of losing her and knew it had felt like losing his future. 

But fate was a beautiful thing and now he had this second chance with her. It was going beyond well and he was happier than he’d been in a very long time. He thought she was just as happy as he was too, which was even better. He couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life making sure she was happy. Soon.

“A few things,” he answered, rubbing his thumb over the back of her knuckles. “Good things.” 

“Are these good things a secret?” she asked. Oliver chuckled, knowing how naturally curious Felicity was. 

“Yes,” he said. 

“Will I get to know about them?”

Hmm. When the time was right. “Yes.”

“Oooh, a mystery.” Felicity looked charmed for a moment before her lips twisted in a scowl. “I hate mysteries. I have to solve them.” 

God, he loved her. He stopped them on the sidewalk, pulling her into his arms to kiss her. He couldn’t wait another minute to have his lips on hers, passerby be damned. 

Felicity Smoak might not be his first kiss, but if he had anything to say about it, she was going to be his last. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry there wasn't actual smut in this chapter. I was surprised when I edited it and saw that. I hope you found the conclusion satisfying regardless. If it helps any, "sweating our confessions" should MORE than make up for the lack. ;) Stay tuned on Friday!

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are my lifeblood! please let me know what you thought and if you please, follow me on Twitter: @callistawolf
> 
> a big big thank you to @andachippedcup for her tireless beta services as well as her cheerleading. Without her, this fic wouldn't exist. @lexiblackbriar also gets a shout out due to her sheer enthusiasm and participating in writing sprints which helped SO MUCH. 💜


End file.
